


True Friendship

by Elle_Gardner



Category: The Walking Dead
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friendship, Humor, M/M, Masturbation, Multi, Oral Sex, Sex, Sharing, Shower Sex, Slash, Watching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-04
Updated: 2014-04-02
Packaged: 2017-12-25 13:54:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 52,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/953883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elle_Gardner/pseuds/Elle_Gardner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rick and Daryl have formed a unique friendship over time, these chapters show the lengths friends go to for each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N – I have been wanting to put these two together for a while, but I wasn’t sure I was up to the task. I practiced a bit first with Daryl and Martinez in “Too Long” and now I am leaping off the ledge. I do not own any of these TWD folks, if I did the show would be a porn production. I do own the naughty tale you are about to read, so if it shows up on AMC someday you can say you read it here first. LOL. This takes place shortly after season three ends.

Rick carried Judith in one arm and a bundle of supplies in the other. Carl was nagging behind him caring dad’s favorite shot gun, “Come one dad. Don’t make me stay here with all these people, they are driving me nuts. Let me go with you guys.” They rounded the corner to where the pic up truck was parked. Daryl was loading the bundle of food Michonne hand handed him behind the front seat. 

“No. I need you to stay here with you sister.” Daryl walked over grabbed the baby from Rick’s arms so he could fuss with her before he left. She always liked Daryl best and she cooed and giggled as he spun her around. He didn’t treat her like glass anymore, she was living up to her nickname of Lil Ass Kicker. She was a tough little thing and he loved that about her. Rick knelt down in front of Carl, though he was getting to big to be talked to this way. “Glenn is going to need a second, and I want you to start teaching those kids a few things. Gonna be a long couple of months, we need to go get more supplies and we need all the room we can spare.” Carl gave him what was becoming his signature stare and Rick ruffled his hair, dismissing him. “Be back tonight, tomorrow at the latest.”

Beth took Jude from Daryl and Carol jogged over to them with a piece of paper. “Sorry, more stuff to add to the list. Do the best you can.” She handed the paper to Rick but she touched Daryl’s arm when she said it. 

They climbed into the truck and nodded to the few people who had come to see them off while Michonne and Carl opened the gate and fended back walkers. Without slowing they rolled through the fence and Daryl watched his side mirror to make sure it shut tight behind them. Rick handed the paper to Daryl and he added it to the other two in his pocket. 

“Gonna need a bigger truck.” Daryl adjusted his crossbow between his legs as he put a boot on the dashboard and watched out the windows. He used to think Georgia was pretty. Now it just felt like a graveyard. He rested his head back as Rick drove the forty five minutes to the part of the journey he was sure about, but then he had to wake Daryl and pull off the road to look at the maps. They were headed for a boarding school that one of the new comers had told them about. They mapped it out and Daryl was now awake and on navigation.

He reached into the back pulling out a thermos of coffee and poured some for Rick. He had grown to tolerate black coffee since creamer and sugar were no longer an option. “We better find a stash of something here.” Rick had been kicking himself for bring all these people back from Woodbury. Granted, no one deserved to live under the rule of the Governor, but they were running out of supplies and runs were getting further out. 

Daryl adjusted the tension on his bow that didn’t need adjusting. “Be fine, we’ll figure it out.” He was tired of hearing Rick stress out about everything. They would get through it. Plus, he had a surprisingly good feeling about this place. The drive to the school took longer than they both expected, but if this school was as secluded as their new tenant implied, it would have their own gas tank on site. They wound down the road to this secluded place, it reminded them both of the prison with a fence around it, all brick buildings and walkers lingering. Daryl reached in back for the bolt cutters. Looks like the front gate had been locked. Rick pulled up close to the gate so Daryl could reach out the window, cut the chain and push open one side of the fence as he jumped out of the truck grabbing his cross bow. Rick pulled forward hitting a walker with his truck as he rounded back.

Daryl had closed then reopened the gate for Rick to pull through and finally closed it one last time as Rick jumped out of the truck with a length of thick chain and a lock. Only one walker had made it in and Daryl took care of that with his buck knife to the eye. Now they were locked in, without a sure game plan of how to get out. “Better be worth it.” Rick scanned the grounds as they got back in to the truck. Daryl pulled out the hand drawn sketch that the newbie had done for them. They pulled round back, only two of those damn bitters were lingering and Daryl took care of them both. They finally pulled up to the small building in the back that was circled on the plan. The guy had worked here as a janitor and had never told the Governor about this place, he didn’t trust that prick either. 

Rick kicked in the door and dust wafted out of the open door way. Maybe the guy was right, this building looked the crappiest out of all of them, and one that didn’t look looted. They grabbed weapons, flashlights and a duffel bag and started in. Took them the better part of the afternoon to load the truck. A small generator and cans of fuel for it, they strapped that tight. There was a little bit of canned food and some boxes of stale things that would be fine. There was an unopened box of first aid kits, the guy said they always had stashes of them. 

Daryl pointed to the building opposite them, “Founders Dorm” was on a plaque next to a door. “She put clothes on the list.” Daryl pulled the papers out of his pocket. They moved the truck again and headed inside. The walkers, all young men, students. They dispelled with their work quickly and made their way through a few closets finding most of what Carol had written down. The sun was setting and they still had room in the truck. It was an easy decision to spend the night. Daryl got the food from behind the seat and Rick scouted a room near the back door to crash in for the night. A dorm with two beds and a stack of books. 

The guys searched the room and were pretty happy with what they had found, a six pack of beer, a stash of dirty magazines, some junk food that seemed to have stood the test of time and a drawer full of condoms. Always in short supply back at the prison block. Daryl divied out the food that had been packed and cracked open a beer for both of them. “We’ll toss the ot’er rooms before we go.” Daryl figured there would be similar stashes in all the guys’ rooms.

Rick was laying back on the bunk thumbing through the ‘Big Jugs’ magazine Daryl had tossed to him. He wasn’t reading the articles or even looking at the pictures. He brain never shut down enough to let him wander that far. 

“Didja need to trade?” Daryl held up the issue of ‘Booty Call’ he was flipping through. He actually didn’t care that he was half stiff in front of Rick. Privacy had done out the window ages ago. 

Rick dropped his magazine on the floor, rubbed his cock once to reposition it and started to babble. “So fucking tired of this shit. Scavenge for shit, kill something, fight with someone, kill something else. Just to not have enough shit and have to go out on these fucking runs again and again. And why the fuck can’t someone else be in charge for a while?” Daryl just listened as Rick went on. “The food sucks all the time. My kids fucking mouthy…” Rick got off the bed and started pacing. “I’m really tired of burying people.” He picked up a tennis ball and started throwing it, bouncing it off the far wall. The noise echoed in the room and Daryl jumped up intervening and took it from him. There had been no sign of anyone, living or dead, but there was no need to draw attention either. “Sorry.” Daryl put it in the duffle bag, they’d bring it back, there was plenty of places in the prison to use bounce the tennis ball.

“You done?” Daryl grabbed another beer and handed it to Rick.

Rick paced again cracking open the can. “And I hate warm beer.” He opened the closet door for no reason and closed it again. “Yes, I’m done.” He drank back the beer and sat down at the rolling chair that was at the desk. He rubbed his shoulder and his temples.

Daryl had thought about his answers as the statements were flying at him. “Now that yer done bitchin’ like a girl... We do this bullshit cause we ‘ave to. No one fuckin’ likes it. You’re in charge… cause you suck at not being in charge. And yes, your kid is fuckin’ mouthy.” Everyone once in a while Daryl needed to just get the truth off his chest and Rick needed to hear it. That’s why they took these runs together.

Rick was rubbing his shoulder wishing the beer was cold so he could use it as a cold-pack. “Whadya do to it?” Daryl had seen him rubbing it on and off all day. He picked up the dirty magazines and tossed them in the duffle bag. 

The sheriff was crabby, had been for days now and now he was just biting off his bitchiness at Daryl because he knew he could take it. “Sure as shit didn’t get it from fucking too hard.” Rick hadn’t gotten laid in months, half of his attitude stemmed from sexual frustration. Daryl shot him an annoyed look. Rick knew his smart mouth was wearing thin on his closest friend. “Slept wrong.” But not thin enough to miss a chance to be a little funny. “You gonna come rub it for me?” He rubbed his fingers deeper into the muscles.

Daryl finished off his second beer and smirked at Rick. “’m guessin’ a blow job be more useful than a massage.”

It wasn’t often that Rick was caught off guard and even less often that his body reacted faster than his brain. He dick stiffened at the thought of a blow job and his face froze at the words.

Daryl realized he had crossed the line. “I wasn’t offerin’.” Clarifying his statement.

Rick laughed, “Sure sounded like you were.” He knew that Daryl hadn’t offered, it was mainly in the delivery of the statement that made it sound that way.

The redneck reached into the duffle bag, grabbed the tennis ball and chucked it at Rick’s head. The sheriff caught it. “If it got you to stop bitchin’ like a chick…” Daryl was almost serious, anything to get Rick past this pissy mood he was always in.

Rick went to throw the ball back but stopped when his dick stiffened to full hardness in his pants. A blowjob was exactly what he needed, he had been scoping Carol for months now, but would never cut in on Daryl’s potential action. He threw the ball back, “Fuck you.”

Daryl had seen Rick pause, doing the math in his head. Figuring out if Daryl sucking his cock was even an option. Wondering if it would help. Daryl dropped the tennis ball back in the bag and got off the bed. Truth was, Daryl didn’t care either way. He had decided months ago he would do whatever Rick needed from him. Picking sides, fighting battles, shit chores, sucking his cock. It really didn’t matter because for once in his crappy life, someone took care of him the way family should. Never screwed him over, always gave a shit about him, protected him, came back for him. Blow job seemed like nothing to Daryl in the big picture of things.

Rick didn’t know what Daryl was going to do. He hadn’t been serious and this whole conversation had gotten out of hand instantly. He watched as Daryl took two steps and dropped to his knees in front of the swivel chair. Daryl never looked at his face, what was the point. He was going to do this anyways. Rick grabbed his friends hand as it went for the buckle on his jeans. They both stopped. Daryl finally looked up pushing the cops’ hands away. “I got this.” Rick exhaled, not sure of where to put his hands. Rick wanted someone else to be in charge for a change, he had gotten what he asked for. He put his hands on the arms of the chair and tipped his head back. He couldn’t watch.

It was all business for Daryl, unbuckling the belt, the button, the zipper. He knew Rick was hard, he was straining against his pants already. Daryl had never done this before and hadn’t really gotten many blowjobs eithers, but he was doing it anyways. He slipped his hand inside Rick’s jeans, he had gone commando like Daryl mostly did now. Slid his hand under the hot dick and pulled it out of his pants. It was impressive. He had seen it before, not like they had never changed, showered or went swimming together. But he had never seen his best friend like this. It was longer than Daryl’s but not as wide, right now it was red and hot and the vains that ran along it were pronounced. He worked Rick’s jeans down just a bit with a little help then went back to wrapping his hand around him. 

Rick was still focused on the ceiling, he couldn’t bring himself to look down at his best friend kneeling in front of him. He wasn’t gay, neither of them were. And Rick was even a little pissed about it all because he figured Daryl was only doing this out of pity, to shut him up. He had whined about too much one too many times. It was almost embarrassing to have Daryl in this position. And then his brain went blank. Daryl’s hand stroked up his cock to the tip, twisted once then shifted back down, but it was his warm, wet mouth the followed the stroke that made Rick groan and grasp the arms of the seat. Daryl may have never done this before but he figured it out pretty quick. Long strokes with his and short sucks with his mouth, though it took a few tries to out how to take it deeper. 

After a few minutes he repositioned himself till he found the right way to suck him, more mouth less hand. Rick let out a “fuck” that made Daryl’s own cock twitch and strain. He had always been one to seek Rick’s approval and now was no different. Knowing he was on the right path made Daryl focus more, sucking down as much as he could while his hand cupped at Rick’s balls. The moans that escaped Rick’s mouth made the redneck proud. Out of his the corner of his eye he could see Rick slide a hand up his own shirt most likely to a nipple as the other hand gripped the arm of the chair. Daryl had to look up, had to see exactly what the sheriff was doing. He sucked deep one more time then slid back up to the tip and shifted his eyes to Rick’s face.

He didn’t know how long Rick had been watching him, eyes half closed as he played with his nipple under his shirt. When they finally made eye contact Rick’s eyes opened fully, he had never seen anything like it. Sure he had seen Lori’s mouth wrapped around him before, a few other women over the years, even pictured Shane in that position one or twice. But Daryl’s mouth stretched around his cock sliding up and down, that was the sexiest thing Rick thought he had ever seen. Rick pried his fingers off the arm of the chair and brought it to Daryl’s face. He needed to touch him, to hold his cheek, run his fingers on his lips but he didn’t know if it was too much. He stopped and Daryl watched him while he swirled his tongue around the tip.

Now he knew for sure that Rick was watching and Daryl wanted to impress him. Daryl tilted his head into Rick’s hand letting him caress his face for a moment, then he went back to the task. He pushed deeper down than before, till the tip his the back of his throat then pushed even further. Then the thought flashed through Daryl’s head. Was he going to be able to handle swallowing a mouth full of cum. He backed his head off trying to figure out what he was going to do, did he let him cum in his mouth or let it go flying.

Rick wasn’t thinking that hard about the whole thing, it had been too long since he had felt a mouth on his cock, and when the Daryl’s throat opened up to him, he was done for. Rick let go of his nipple and with both hands pushed Daryl’s mouth back down his cock with more force than he meant, but he couldn’t hold out any longer. Rick exploded straight down his best friend’s throat, pumping hard. At one point he felt Daryl gag and it only served to make Rick buck again. 

Daryl hardly tasted any of it, Rick had pushed so deep it all went straight down. Daryl ignored the fact that when Rick pushed on his head and pulled on his hair, the pleasure went straight to his dick. At one point he couldn’t breathe anymore and he started to gag. Rick only thrust deeper when he felt Daryl’s throat close, dirty fucker.

By the time Rick was done and Daryl had licked the cock and his hand clean of drool, he was quite proud of himself for having not spilled a drop. He let go of the death grip he had on Rick and sat back on the floor, his back against the edge of the twin bed. They were both a little out of breath. Rick had gone back to looking at the ceiling now with his dick slowly softening in his lap. Occasionally he would exhale with a “Holy shit” coming out of his mouth and Daryl smirked. They were both quiet for a while then Daryl got up off the floor and laid back in the bed. 

Rick couldn’t believe what had just happened, he had never thought of Daryl in a sexual way before, but now his brain filled with nasty visions of what he could imagine them doing together. He sucked cock like a pro, had he done that before? Rick knew tonight was over but the thought lingered in his head that they were going to need to take a lot more runs in the future together.

Rick finally looked over and Daryl was staring at him. The cop smiled and started to open his mouth but Daryl cut him off. “I don’t cuddle.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl comes home to find chaos at the prison. Rick steps in to help keep Daryl in control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought this story might continue, I just had to wait for my muse to whisper dirty things in my ear. Now that he and I have chatted, sorted through the hurt and angst, I can tell you what we have concocted. In this installment, Daryl needs Rick to get him through a dark place. But we will also so how Daryl has grown since the world went to shit. Enjoy.

Daryl was angry. More than he had been when he found out they had left Merle on the roof in Atlanta, more than the day the barn doors were opened and Walker-Sophia dragged herself out into the sunlight and he realized he had been disillusioning himself for too long thinking she would be safe. He knew something was wrong when he drove up to the gates of their prison home and Rick was waiting for him. Rick was too busy of a man to be on door-duty. The yard was almost empty, odd this time of day when there was farming to be done and chores on this sunny day. He pulled the truck into the open, turned off the engine, palmed the keys and slammed the door before Rick had the gate resecured. 

Daryl had been out hunting all morning, he had left before the sun was up and had spent the better part of the day in silence watching the ridge near the stream for anything to come by. This was the fourth morning in a row he had sat here. He was patient, ignoring smaller animals that came his way, he was waiting for the deer that had left behind plenty of tracks. He had no idea how long he had sat there, the sun was getting pretty high in the sky when he was rewarded with his prize. The buck came into view, slowly moving up from the far side of the ridge; Daryl slid his buck knife back into the sheath on his belt. It moved through the brush breaking twigs under its weight, he lifted the crossbow off his lap and tucked it against his shoulder. The majestic animal pushed down to the stream as Daryl silently rose to his feet. The prey never saw it coming, one single shot from the predator and the stag cleanly dropped. 

It was a struggle for Daryl to strap and drag the 200 pound animal but he was prepared, he slid the steel make-shift ramp out of the bed of the truck and winched the deer into the back. He was only distracted by two walkers which he dropped as cleanly as he had the buck. Properly cleaned and cut this deer would feed them all some much needed protein rich meals over the next few weeks. He drove back to the prison proud to be able to provide for the group, he had become a valued team member who not only provided food but also protection. He was slowly growing comfortable with his place in their community.

Rick hustled over from the gate and met Daryl half way, grabbing him by the upper arm and pulling him toward the side door of the prison. “She’s gonna be okay.” Rick couldn’t look at his best friend, he knew he would be no help if Daryl saw his real emotion. Two of the young Woodbury men came out the side door; they had been waiting for Daryl to get back, he tossed them his keys, they would figure out what needed to be done when they saw the score waiting for them. 

“Bit?” Rick and Daryl were almost to the door when Daryl asked. Rick shook his head no. 

They took the stairs two at a time and when they finally got to Carl holding open the next set of doors, Daryl was practically running. “Where is she?” Carl pointed to the main room. Everyone was gathered around the gurney, she was stable, Hershel had said it as the guys came through. Everyone cleared a path as Daryl pushed his way in to the space.

She was covered in blood, her clothes in a bloody pile on the floor, his eyes shifted from the pile, to her pale face, the sheet that covered her upper body, and the blood stained pants she wore, Hershel’s red hands, Rick’s face then back to hers. He wanted to touch her, to grab her hand, draw her body up to his and hold her tight. Daryl looked to Hershel, finally ready to hear what had happened. 

“It was an accident. One of the new kids was cleaning gun and it went off, caught her in the side.” That explained all the blood. “Missed all the important stuff but she lost a lot of blood. Gotta keep her still for as long as we can, went clean through but things can tare easy.” Daryl listen and registered. 

Daryl never took his eyes off Carol, blood on her face, in her hair. “Who done it?” He needed to know who was going to pound into an unrecognizable mess. They all wanted to protect the kid, it was an accident for sure, but there was no use trying to keep the info from Daryl. He would have fought it out of one of them. 

“Joe.” Rick as at the door, guarding it, he might be the only one to keep Joe alive. Daryl touched his hand to her forehead, she was cool to the touch, better then hot with fever but still not a good sign. He had to get out of there, too many people just standing around, too many people watching him waiting for him to react.

He turned to Hershel, “Get me when she wakes up.” Daryl turned and walked toward the door, Rick was blocking him.

“You can’t kill him.” Rick said it softly, only Daryl actually heard it. Rick knew Daryl better than anyone, except maybe Carol. He knew that, accident or not, Daryl was not going to be able to keep his temper in check. This boy had better be hiding with a stock of food, because it would be days before Daryl would be stable enough to keep his emotions in check. Some people would say that Daryl and Carol had a complex relationship, but there was nothing complex about it, they loved each other completely. As friends, family and companions. And though their relationship had never gotten physical, well not that Rick knew of anyway, he knew they loved each other more intensely than most people did. Rick followed Daryl out of the building. Daryl was on a mission, he had no idea where he was going but he was moving fast. 

They had strung up the deer for him in the small room used for gutting. A wheel barrel was just being brought in to start the cleaning process. They didn’t know the look on Daryl’s face, didn’t know that they should leave before it got ugly. Rick was only a few paces behind when Daryl blew up at them. “The fuck you doing here? That’s my deer. Get the fuck outta here ‘fore I gut ya both.” He pulled his buck knife out of its sheath, gripped it in an overhand motion and swing blindly to punctuate his statement. He swung again, this time piercing the wall with a deliberate motion. Rick stood in the doorway, the deer hanging between them. “The fuck did ya let this happen?” Daryl crossed and pushed against Rick’s chest. “If she dies, I’m gonna kill that kid.” It wasn’t him blowing off steam, it was simply a statement of fact.

Daryl paced in the room while Rick stood in the door way. “She’s gonna be fine. Hershel got it all taken care of, just lost a lot of blood. Gonna take time.” Daryl wanted to draw his knife from the wall and carve into the deer, tare the flesh to shreds as he vented his anger, but he knew better than to destroy the first real kill any of them had gotten in months. Every time he made for the door Rick would shift, leaning to the other side. Daryl was going to have to walk it off in this cage or fight Rick. He just paced and occasionally punched the wall. 

When Rick knew for sure that he was calming down, he tested the waters, with his ‘just being a dick’ approach. “Though you said you weren’t into her.” They had talked about Carol a few weeks ago on watch one night. Rick had pushed him into an uncomfortable conversation that ended the same way this one would.

“Go fuck yer self.” Daryl stopped pacing and eye fucked him for trying to lighten the moment. 

Rick knew Daryl had settled down enough. “Come on, let them dress this out, you go sit with her.” He finally cleared the door way and Daryl pried his knife from the wall. They walked back into the building. The group had thinned out, they had moved Carol to what was now the infirmary bed and she was sleeping. Maggie sat with her till she saw Daryl then she got up and gave him the seat. Rick cleared the room and sent everyone back out to chores. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been hours since Daryl sat down, he was calm now. He read a book while she slept, let Hershel hobble in and check on her occasionally and dripped water into her mouth to keep her hydrated. Beth had brought a bucket with warm water and a wash rag and he had cleaned her up. Some of the blood stained her shoulder, it would take a better scrubbing to get her clean, but she was better for now. It seemed like she might have been floating in and out of consciousness but she never really woke up. Occasionally Daryl would kneel next to her head and whisper in her ear. Tell her that he was her with her, that he would stay with her and that she needed her to get better. He never told her everything he was thinking. Not that he loved her or that she was his rock, because he knew it didn’t need to be said. 

Rick brought him in dinner, nothing special, a stew of sorts and they ate together, quietly. Neither of them talking, they didn’t need to. Folks were coming in for the evening, Judith had been put to bed already and the normal gathering that would have occurred in the main hall was suspended till further notice. Joe paced in the corner, far from Daryl, but where he could see Carol. He had only fired a gun twice in his life, shooting at tin cans. When the gun went off he had peed himself. Then when he realized what had happened to Carol he ran to help her, screaming the whole way. Holding her side as she yelled then quickly blacking out. He yelled for help till Maggie came running. Then when Carol was inside, the crowd of people with her and he was alone, Joe threw up. He didn’t know if she would live. Maggie and Glenn interrogated him and he sobbed. But he didn’t truly know what scared was until he heard Daryl Dixon’s voice call him from the infirmary cell. 

“Joe, get ov’r here.” It was the first thing he had said in hours that that been louder than a whisper. Rick was ready to intervene if needed but really hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Some of the other Woodbury folks stepped closer, no one was really sure what this short tempered redneck was capable of. 

Joe walked to the door of the cell and stopped. Rick sat between them and Daryl never looked away from Carol. “Did you ‘pologize?” Daryl’s tone was calm. Disturbingly calm, even to Rick. 

“What?” Joe was sure he hadn’t heard him correctly. 

Daryl put his bowl on the floor. “For shooting her. Did you say you’re sorry?” He finally looked at the kid who was looking at Carol. The young man shook his head ‘no’. “Do it.” 

Joe muttered a ‘sorry’ but it wasn’t good enough for Daryl. 

“Can’t hear ya.” Folks were gathering closer than Daryl appreciated. “This ain’t no show, get the fuck out.” They dispersed. He nodded for Rick to get up. “Sit down n ‘pologize right.” Daryl was smarter than people gave him credit for. He had been accidently shot by Andrea last year, can’t fault someone for that kind of mistake. He had done more than his fair share of dumb things in his life time, before and after the end of the world. Most times he had never been given a chance to fix his mistake, never allowed to apologize for his wrong doing, and never knew how to atone for the sins he had committed. There was no reason why this kid needed to go through any of that. If Carol survived, this kid had no reason to feel the way Daryl had most of his life. If she died, well at least Joe would die with a clean conscience, because Daryl would kill him if she died.

Joe sat down and began to cry, apologizing and talking to Carol. Daryl got up and let him go at it. He walked into the main room and motioned for Maggie to stay with him. He needed to get out of there. Rick patted Daryl’s shoulder. “Shower? You look like shit.” He did, he was still covered in blood from this morning’s kill and struggle to get the deer into the truck. He was overdue for a shower and this seemed as good a time as any. They walked down the hall to laundry, grabbed a few towels and a clean shirt of Daryl’s, someone was always doing laundry now these days since they had rigged some Woodbury solar power for heating water. 

It was dark down at the showers, no moonlight through the windows, they lit the lantern and Daryl turned on the water. It would take a few minutes for it to get lukewarm. He undressed and stepped toward the spray, he didn’t care that it was still cold. He walked right through it and only stopped when he could rest his head on the wall. Rick watched him, he had never seen Daryl so in control of his emotions. He had understood what had happened in that infirmary cell, how he could have beat the crap out of that kid but let him recompense for his wrong instead. The water ran down Daryl’s naked body, finding its way along his skin down muscles that lined his back. Across the demon’s drawn on his back and the scars, down his hip and his legs.

Rick was hard instantly. It had been almost two months since they had gone on the run to the boarding school and Daryl had given him that blowjob. The one they never spoke of, there was nothing to say. But it lingered in Rick’s mind often. More than he thought it should sometimes. Not just when he was in his bunk stroking himself, but sometimes when he would see Daryl stalk across the courtyard, his long determined pace would cause the cop to flashback to that dorm room. Rick undressed, he would shower too, he would set aside his own desires and simply be with his friend. He piled his clothes on the bench and watched as Daryl banged his head on the tile, two hands on the wall. Not hard, just head clearing. Rick’s mind was back in the dining hall a few days ago, Daryl was tipping back in a chair, tapping the back of his head against the wall watching the room. They made eye contact and Daryl smiled a genuine smile to Rick. His face lit, both sides of his lips curled up and Rick knew he had caught his best friend thinking about that same night. In the middle of this room full of people, demands and responsibilities they were both smiling over that blowjob they never spoke of. Daryl’s smile made Rick grin and they both looked away when Carol caught them both smirk for the first time in ages. 

He watched his friend just stand there against the wall banging his head. He had almost lost the woman he cared most about today. To a stupid accident, on that could have been avoided. It was best that it had happened when Daryl was away, Joe would have been killed while Carol was on the surgical table. But over these months, Daryl had learned self-control, it had been forced on him and he was better at it than Rick had ever imagined. Rick turned on the water next to his friend and let it begin to warm up. Not that it would ever get hot, but it would be tolerable. 

Daryl turned around, his naked body now facing the cop. The water only hit the lower half of the redneck but Rick focused on his face. 

“Too fuckin’ close man.” He scrubbed his hand over his face and stepped into the spray.

Rick nodded. “I know.”

Daryl slammed his elbow into the tile behind him and winced at the pain, but it was pain he wanted. They were both quiet as they started to shower. Nothing left to talk about, soap on a rope that Carol had made, they passed it between them. Daryl rinsed the soap from his hair and looked at Rick. Looked hard as his friend who was running his soapy hands along his arm. 

Rick saw him looking, caught him staring and he hoped what he was about to say was right “Payback?”

Daryl cracked his neck to the right, “Yeah.”

Rick wasn’t sure what Daryl needed, he paused and waited. Daryl turned to the wall, his back to the cop. Rick walked to him and pressed his wet front to his friend. He spoke in Daryl’s ear. “I’m gonna fuck ya, ‘less you tell me to fuck off.” 

Daryl didn’t respond, just pressed his head to his forearm and pressed his body back into Rick. He needed this. It had been two months since he had gone down on Rick, since they had made this connection that went above and beyond the surface of their relationship. Daryl had hardly thought about it in the past weeks. He had convinced himself that he had done it out of loyalty and, well, to end Rick’s whining, both of which were true. But there was more to it and he knew that. “Payback”, there was no payback needed for what he had done. Daryl just needed to feel something while Carol lay shot in a bunk somewhere above him. If he had been here when the gun went off he would have gotten to her sooner, scooped her up and had her patched up faster. But he was off on one of his trips away from everyone. Carol was always scared when he went off alone, no one to watch his back. But this time he had abandoned her, let her get hurt and now he was helpless to care for her. 

He had wanted to make the first move, to get Rick to touch him, but if Daryl had made the first move, he would be expected to do the fucking and that wasn’t what he needed. He needed Rick to take control. Daryl’s world felt like it was spinning out of control and he needed his friend to bring everything back to center.

His body pressed back, Rick lined his cock up with Daryl’s ass. Again, this was unchartered territory for both of them, they would figure it out together. The water mingled between them and Rick put his mouth on Daryl’s shoulder. He kissed at the wet flesh and Daryl shook his head, this wasn’t right. He reached back, threading his fingers through the dark curly hair and Rick paused, figuring out what his friend needed. This time he put his mouth back down, but he didn’t kiss, this time he used his teeth, biting at the flesh that he found. Daryl nodded in approval and pulled his friend down tighter, Rick bit harder and Daryl moaned. He needed to feel pain. Rick reached his arms around Daryl, hugging him as he gnawed on the flesh and the hunter welcomed the touch. 

One hand worked its way down Daryl’s chest, through the smattering of chest hair to his pubic hair and finally onto the rock hard cock that stood erect and waiting to be touched. Daryl threw his head back. Fuck it felt good, better than good. Rick wrapped his fingers tightly around and started to stroke. His other hand moved to Daryl’s left hand and put it against the wall. He was now in a position the cop was familiar with, legs spread, hands on the wall. But the tossed back head was sexy. Rick took his free hand back and sucked at his own thumb. He knew he had to start working Daryl open if he was going to fuck him today. 

When Rick found that tight hole Daryl closed his eyes and tried to think about everything that might make it easier for Rick to finger him. He tried to relax but his body involuntarily tightened. Rick tried again, more spit. He wasn’t making progress. Daryl shadowed the hand on his cock, making sure Rick did not slow from stroking him. 

Rick tried one more time and finally make a little headway. Daryl moaned. Just the tip of a thumb sent tingles through his body. “I can’t fuck you if you don’t relax.” Daryl tried again, this time his body began to cooperate. “Yeah, like that.” Rick is now inside, his thumb as far as it would go. “Don’t wanna hurt ya.” He started to finger him, twisting and matching his left hand to his right.

That was it, that was the problem, or the solution. Daryl had let Carol get hurt, he had not been there when she needed him most. He deserved to be punished for that, to hurt for that. “Do it.”

Rick wasn’t sure what he had heard. He continued to stretch him. Daryl pushed back hard, tightened his own grip on Rick’s hand and banged his head on the tile wall, “Fuckin’ do it, hurt me.” Rick wanted to stop, pull Daryl into his arms and tell him that he didn’t deserve to be hurt for any reason. But who was Rick to tell anyone how to deal with their shit. Everyone dealt with their baggage in their own messed up way, this man was no different. All Daryl knew his whole life was pain and hurt. And all Rick could do was give him what he needed out of a place of friendship. He nodded as he pulled his thumb out and pushed the dark haired man against the wall, out of the water. He stopped stroking the cock in his hand and began stroking his own, spit and precum slicking it as he added more spit to Daryl’s ass. When he was ready he lined the tip up with the tight ring of muscles and began to push, Daryl pushing back. Not letting himself adjust to anything but taking the pain instead of looking for pleasure. Rick held his hip tight digging his nails into flesh as he spit a little more and pushed as deep as he could. When he was fully seated they both stopped moving. Just for a moment. Rick had never been this tight inside anyone before, when he and Lori had tried anal sex, they had spent time stretching her and opening her up, to let him ease into her. This was like a vice around him and it felt like nothing he had ever felt before. 

Rick put his head on Daryl’s back, “God damn.” He wanted to stay like that forever. Flesh to flesh, buried deep, but Daryl pushed back. 

He needed more. “Jus’ fuck me.”, again his head banging it on the tile. Rick obliged, he slowly slid out, tormenting himself more than his friend he thought, and then he began to fuck into him, deep with every pass, hard, pushing his hips to Daryl and Daryl into the wall. His dick crushing against the cold tile wall. This was their place, their rhythm together. It was the pain Daryl needed. At some point he came, not some hard gushing orgasm, but just pushing fluid out of his body and against the wall. He didn’t convulse or shake, he simply came. The explosion would be left for Rick. He pounded harder and faster, wrapped around Daryl’s body and he took his own pleasure. He fucked longer than either of them expected him to, Daryl had been the last person to touch him besides himself, and that had been over eight weeks ago. He expected to cum fast, but he didn’t want to stop being inside his friend and he held off as long as he could.

When he finally came he realized that Daryl was holding his hand, fingers tightly wrapped together. He pushed in one last time and moaned out Daryl’s name. He erupted and it felt amazing to both of them. Daryl like the feeling of being filled like this, hot and smooth, the convulsions in his ass. If he had been in a different mindset, he might of cum again. An ass full of cock covered in cum started to make him stiff again. He leaned on the wall holding Rick’s hand, letting his friend lay against him panting. 

Damn it, somewhere in the middle of this the sex became about Rick and not about Daryl any more. He was pissed at himself for letting it happen. This was not supposed to be about his needs or wants, only about comforting Daryl. He slowly slipped himself out, the agonizing cruelty of it was exquisite and it pissed him off more for liking it. Rick let the water wash down his body, starting to wash away the cum. Daryl finally turned around and looked at Rick, who would not look at him.

“What?” 

Rick looked down and watched the water swirl on the floor.

Daryl didn’t need this shit. If Rick was going to feel bad about it, Daryl would be pissed. “Fucking what?”

The cop looked up, directly into his friends eyes and started to apologize. “I’m an asshole.” Daryl looked at his confused. “I went and made this fuck all about me.” Rick shook his head.

Daryl laughed, Rick didn’t get it. Sometimes that man was too smart for his own good. Daryl needed to be used, to feel the pain of a hard fucking and to feel punished for letting Carol down. Rick accomplished that. “Asshole, yeah. That’s what I was thinking.” Daryl stepped into the shower spray beside Rick and started to wash up. In silence they showered till the water ran cold, almost twenty minutes. They were toweling off when Glenn came into the room.

“She’s wake. She’s gonna be fine.” The all let out a sigh of relief. 

Rick nodded and dismissed Glenn with a look. He was the master of direction with a simple look. Glenn turned and left them alone. Daryl sat on the bench toweling at his hair. Rick sat and put an arm around him. 

Daryl just sighed and nodded his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turned you on? Maybe you smile? Repulsed you? I want to hear about it.


	3. Kisses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The friendship between Rick and Daryl continues to grow. It's interesting to see what one man will do for another when it's about friendship.

It had been three weeks now since Carol had moved from the infirmary cell back to her own space, she was fairly well healed from her gunshot wound, and in a strange turn of events that no one seemed to talk about, Daryl was sleeping in her cell with her every night. It started with him against the bars in walkway sitting up the first night, then he moved into the actual cell on the floor for about a week then one night she insisted he get up off the floor in share the pillow with her. He hardly left camp anymore, only for hunting trips and even those he kept to short mornings. Daryl just didn’t feel right leaving her alone. It was crazy but it was how he was coping with almost losing the most import person in his life.

The block was quiet, everyone was sleeping, you could hear random snoring throughout the cells and Carol thought for sure that if she listened hard enough she could hear walkers moaning outside the fences, but she knew that was all in her head. She had woken ten minutes earlier when Daryl had rolled over and reached an arm across her stomach, catching her wound that was still tender. The pain subsided quickly but she was now awake and aware that he was touching her. In his sleep was the only time he touched her. He no longer pulled away when she reached out to him but he still never brought himself to touch her. She listened to his breathing and knew he was slowly working his way awake, he didn’t sleep for long stretches. When he was on the verge of waking she put her hand on his arm holding him in place.

When Daryl finally woke he tried to roll away from her but she held him in place. “Stay.” She craved the contact. Carol wanted more from him, but he couldn’t do it, and she didn’t often push it from him. He nodded and held his arm across her stomach, part of it bare as her shirt had lifted. He closed his eyes trying not to think of his flesh touching hers. He was not built for this type of thing, even in this end of days he was not built to be with a woman. Especially one like Carol, who would need him to be emotionally with her as well as physically. He tied to think of anything but his arm touching her stomach as her hand wrapped around his flesh holding him in place. He tried to think of anything but flesh touching flesh. 

Suddenly he was hard. In trying not to think about Carol’s body, he was instantly brought back to that moment in the showers, his forehead on the cold tile wall, water sluicing off his skin and Rick pressed naked against him. The weight of his best friend pushed against him and the feel of his breath on his ear as he spoke. “I’m gonna fuck ya, ‘less you tell me to fuck off.” At least he wasn’t thinking of Carol this time. He tried to go back to sleep, tried to think about anything that would make his erection subside, but it was a losing battle. When he pushed down an image of kissing Carol’s stomach, it brought up one of Rick spreading him open with his thumb. Stifling the thought of sliding into Carol’s wet pussy simply brought Daryl further back in time to sucking Rick’s cock. He gave up fighting, he just let the erection rage in his boxers and Carol dozed back off to sleep.

\--

With all of the new people it was now a rare occasion when Daryl or Rick had to take an overnight watch shift. Usually it only occurred when one or both of them were in the mood to be outside on a nice night. Daryl climbed the stairs of the tower and was surprised to see Rick standing there. 

“Hell, if I had known you were gonna be here…” Daryl smirked but didn’t finish the thought, didn’t know if he actually had more to say than that. 

Rick smiled, he had thought about inviting Daryl for watch tonight, but he didn’t want to seem desperate, the way he had been feeling more and more lately when he wanted to spend time with Daryl. Desperate and greedy. So many new faces walked the prison grounds now. Their original crew had taken on new roles and responsibilities. They didn’t see much of each other out side of meals now. “Ah, you miss me and ya know it.” Rick tried to sound nonchalant, but really all he had thought about in the past 23 days was how it had felt to cum inside of Daryl. How amazing that orgasm had been and how he wished he could do it over and over. To push deep into someone who could take the abuse, to fill that person, biting at his flesh, holding his hand. Even the delightful torture of pulling out of Daryl. Rick had thought about every moment of that orgasm too many times now, he had jerked off to that memory almost daily since it had happened. 

At first he told himself that it was because the orgasm had been so intense, that’s why he couldn’t get over it all. But he came to realize that is was more than just the action of cumming, it was the person he had been with when it had occurred. Daryl’s fingers intertwined with his as he thrust deep and came hard, moaning out his best friend’s name. Twice now he had filled his friend with his sperm, twice now Daryl had taken it without a word. Rick felt ashamed, like he had taken advantage of things, even in payback he had taken advantage of the situation. He wanted to apologize and offer to try again. He shook the thought from his head.

Daryl leaned at the opening watching the walkers below. He wished he could just take popshots and blow each of them a new hole in their heads that would drop them to the ground, but it was not wise. So he just watched as they rocked at the fence, in the yard, along the road. It pissed him off to know that this was his fate, everyone’s fate, to all end up this way someday. They watched the fence line for a while till Carol came up with a thermos of coffee for them. 

“Though you might like a little caffeine.” Daryl knew the stairs were a challenge for her, up was easy but down would pull at the tissue that was still healing at her side. In an uncharacteristic display of affection Daryl kissed her hair and thanked her. Rick didn’t miss it or the look of shock on Carol’s face. It was not as if he hadn’t kissed her hair before, but it was the first time he had done it outside of their cell, with an audience. She sat with them for a while, they all talked, mainly about the new people, the overcrowding and options for moving along. They couldn’t come up with a solution to their woes, but it was good conversation among people who would never have become friends if the world continued on differently. 

When she finally stood up to leave, Daryl jumped down from the ledge he was sitting on and walked her to the door. “You ok? Goin’ back and stuff?” He offered to help her down the stairs. 

“I’ll be fine Daryl.” She touched his cheek.

He wanted to kiss her hand, her lips, something in front of Rick, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. “I’ll be to bed after this shift.” He looked past her shoulder to Rick, who was focused on the couple. Carol didn’t miss much. She had seen the way they acted around each other these past few months, glances across rooms, closeness as they walked the fence line, next to each other at meals. Even if they didn’t realize it, she knew there was something more going on between the two of them. It’s why she’d accepted the fact that Daryl hadn’t touched her in all of those weeks they had been sleeping together. There was more to these two than even these two realized. 

“Take your time. I’ll be asleep.” She looked at Rick over her shoulder. She was gone as quickly as she had arrived and Daryl watched her walk across the courtyard back to the cell block. She had made it safely and he mumbled that fact to Rick who nodded. 

Rick swigged back the rest of his coffee and set the cup on the table. He had been trying to do this for a while now and he was ready. “We gonna talk ‘bout the elephant in the room?” 

Daryl looked down at his brown boots, he didn’t want to talk about it. He sucked about talking about things to begin with, this topic was just beyond him. “Nothin’ to talk ‘bout.” He really didn’t see the point of talking about it. Besides, talking about it wasn’t going to help him get rid of the hard on he had instantly gotten when Rick suddenly brought the topic up.

The cop stepped toward his friend, he looked down to the front of Daryl’s pants that were illuminated in the moonlight. “That woman makes you hard.” Rick wanted to talk about it, to talk about anything that might bring Daryl around his way, constantly thinking about sex. “You doing anything about it?” He wanted to know if they were fucking, if Daryl got to cum on a regular basis without having to jerk off to a memory of being fucked in the shower. 

Daryl shifted, his boots felt heavy, too heavy to lift and walk away from his friend. “Jus’ sleepin’ in the same space.” It was true, they were just roomies. Even if they both wanted more, this is where they stood. 

Rick looked down to his crotch, then back up to his eyes, “You need to nail… have sex with her.” He didn’t know why he was pushing Daryl into her bed, but he was. Maybe if he knew they were having sex, he wouldn’t be so tempted by this dark haired man all the time.

Daryl picked up his cross bow and went to the opening, he aimed down to the walkers, just watching the lumbering action below. “’s’not like that man.” Rick stepped closer, looking over Daryl’s shoulder to the dead ones below. Daryl tried to change the subject. “That one in red down there, been here the longest.” It had been, ‘Red Dress’ had been there for weeks now. 

Rick nodded, he knew almost every walker by site, how long they had been there, how quickly they moved, which ones looked like they were thinking, calculating. He tried to focus on the walkers but he was too stiff now. This close to Daryl, his scent, the way he stood with his crossbow readied. It all made Rick’s cock take notice. The way the weapon sat against his broad shoulder that extended into his firm chest. His muscular arm propped, he could hold that bow steady for minutes without shaking. He had amazing control of himself. “If it’s not like that with you two, then why are you hard?” Rick could tell just by the way the redneck was standing that he was still erect.

Daryl turned slowly, dropping his crossbow and facing the cop. He rested the bow against the wall. He was beyond retreating into his mind, beyond pushing past his fears and fleeing. He stepped to Rick and spoke in a whisper. “’m hard for the same reason you are.” He leaned in and kissed his best friend. Mouth to mouth they kissed, tentative at first, Rick grabbing at Daryl’s upper arms holding him in place. He had jerked off too many times these past few months thinking about kissing this man. Their kiss went from soft to hard, tongues licking at each other, vying for control. Daryl liked the feeling of Rick holding him in place. Just like the first blow job, even though Daryl had done all the work, Rick was the one who had been in control. In the shower, Rick lead the way causing the pain Daryl needed to get through the moments. This was no different. Even though he had planted the first kiss, he let Rick take the lead, restraining him, opening up his mouth to accept the cops tongue. Rick whines about not wanting to be in control, but he doesn’t know any other way to be, and Daryl doesn’t mind at all.

Daryl threaded his fingers through the brown wavy hair. The coarse beard scrapped through his own and to his skin. They kissed hard and passionately and Daryl groaned as his friend reached down and stroked his dick through the front of his black jeans. “’m fuckin’ hard for you.” He couldn’t believe he had said it out loud, but Rick’s hand felt amazing and he had a right to know the truth. 

“Yeah.” They kissed again till they heard the lower door squeak. They never oiled that door, it was an early warning signal, and tonight it had worked perfectly. When the new kid opened the upper door Daryl was sitting in the window looking out and Rick was sitting in the chair picking at his finger nails.

Rick nodded to his friend. “You go to bed. I’ll sit with this kid for a while.” They parted ways as if they hadn’t just made out for the first time. Like they both weren’t stiffer now than they had been for months. Daryl walked slowly down the stairs, adjusting himself as he went. Rick watched him cross the courtyard and into the door, Daryl had never looked back. 

Carol was in bed, but she wasn’t asleep. She couldn’t sleep thinking about what those two could have been doing alone in that tower. The thought of it had her wet and wanting. She had masturbated thinking of them together. Not the first time she had gotten off to that idea, but it seemed more plausible than ever before. Daryl walked in quietly resting his crossbow near the head of their cot. He had undressed and she watched him in the dim light. He took off his shirt and pulled on a t-shirt she had left for him. He unlaced his boots and left them next to the bed, ready to hop back into them if he needed to. Normally he slept in boxer shorts but he was too stiff for that tonight. He would keep his jeans on tonight. 

He realized she was watching him, not sleeping at all. “Wha’?”

She smiled. In all the ways that man had changed since they had met, language and vocabulary hadn’t been one of them. She shook her head. “Sleeping in your pants?”

“I’m cold.” He lied, poorly.

She lifted the blanket and he crawled in next to her, he tried to turn away from her, but she wouldn’t have it. “Why didn’t you fix that before you came to bed?” She didn’t need to be more specific, he knew her well enough to know exactly what she was asking. 

Carol was right, he should have jerked off before he crawled into bed with her. His head was still fogged from the kiss. He couldn’t believe they had kissed, hell, made out. And he fucking loved it. The scratch of the beard, the push of his tongue, the grip of his hands, all of it. He fucking loved it and he loved that he was hard from it. “Fix what?” He was an asshole for playing games with her.

“Why don’t you fix it now?” Carol’s voice was low. Laying on her side, leaning on her elbw, she reached over and put her hand on his stomach and watched his face.

Daryl exhaled half a laugh. “Ya want me to go jerk off then come back to bed?” He loved that she was direct. It brought him back to their first night here at the prison when she asked if he wanted to screw around. She had been serious but let him off the hook that night. Let him avoid the conversation. She was always letting him do it. He wanted to get out of the bed but her hand was on his stomach and he wouldn’t move her.

“No.” Carol was looking at his swollen lips. He had been kissed. He had been kissing Rick, she was sure of it. That hard on he was sporting was Rick’s doing. And though she felt jealous, it wasn’t outweighed by how much it turned her on. “I want you to fix it here.” She slid her hand up his body, over his chest to his neck then his lips. She traced a finger along his swollen lips. She was showing him exactly what she knew. “Pull it out and do it here.” Her eyes shifted to his, “Think about whoever you want, I just want to see you do it.”

Daryl grabbed her wrist with more force than he would ever mean to, this gentle woman didn’t deserve to be grabbed. She never moved her finger from lip. Daryl didn’t grab nearly as hard as Ed would have grabbed her, it wasn’t enough to scare her or make her react. He loosened his grip but didn’t let go. What the hell? She wanted to see him stroke it? It almost made him laugh, this seemed exactly right for their screwed up relationship. He wanted to ask her why, why she wanted to watch him but he didn’t. Hell he didn’t care. When she had asked to see him, his cock flinched against his jeans. Daryl wanted to jerk off in front of her. No matter how odd it seemed, he wanted to do it.

He moved her hand as he sat up just a little and then pulled his shirt off and pushed back the blanket, he was hot. He laid back down and she let her eyes drift over his skin. She watched as he unbuckled his belt, popped the button and unzipped, he worked his jeans down past his hips then looked at her to see where she was focused. She had seen him naked before, the first time in a lake and twice in the showers. But she had never seen him hard like this, rock hard, and even in the moonlight she could see the precum oozing down his shaft. She licked her bottom lip, 

“Naked.” She spoke and Daryl obeyed, getting out of bed he peeled off his jeans and laid back down.

Eyes closed, head back he envisioned Rick sitting in that chair in the dorm room as he sucked him off, it was his favorite visual to masturbate to lately. He stroked his cock with his right hand as he tweaked his nipple with his left. Rick’s voice in his head as he moaned out ‘fuck’ and now the feel of those lips on his own. All of this and knowing the woman he loved was watching him, this was not going to be a long event. But he held himself tight and stroked quickly, he spit in his left hand and added more wet to the process, when he had two hands on his cock Carol inhaled sharply. She was turned on, gyrating her hips without realizing she was doing it, but he noticed, he caught her movement out of the corner of his eye. 

Carol couldn’t stop watching the hands that were moving. Daryl’s was only the third erect penis she had ever seen. It was about the same length as the other two but much wider, she wondered how it would look with her hand wrapped around it, would her hand seem small? He reached down and cupped his balls as he stroked, cupped them tightly, the vanes in his arms flexed as he did it. It looked painful but he let out a moanless breath, he liked it. She listened as his breath became ragged. She touched his hip that was beginning to lift of the bed in a slow rhythm, as if he was flexing the muscles in his ass. Her hand burned on his skin and he moaned out a quiet, ‘fuck’. 

She brought her mouth close to his ear, her eyes never leaving his hand. “I want to see you kiss Rick.” She whispered it, but to Daryl’s cock, it was a scream. Those words were the magic he needed to cum, and he did, hard. He pushed his head back into the pillow, the muscles in his arm and neck flexed as he hips lifted up and he erupted. Cum flying through the air then landing on him. His stomach caught most of the ropes of white liquid, but one landed across his hip and Carol’s fingers. He tried to hold in the groan but he lost that battle.

He settled to catch his breath but stopped breathing entirely when he watched Carol bring her fingers to her mouth and lick his sticky white cum off her own skin. He couldn’t remember the last time someone tasted him. She smiled at the acid and salty taste. It was nothing like Ed’s, his tasted bitter and it had always been forced into her mouth. This was so different and she licked the back of each finger twice before she reached back down to his hips and swiped more off of him. Back to her mouth she finally looked at his face, his boyish face that watched her like a hawk. 

“Taste good?” She nodded as she licked her fingers. He understood what she meant. He had thought that Rick tasted good, though most of it had flooded past his tongue from the start, he had caught enough of it to know how Rick had tasted and that he would want more of it someday. Daryl swiped a finger across his stomach and brought it to her mouth, she licked it. Surprised he had done it, but she licked his finger clean and he brought that finger back for more. 

He held another finger full in front of her but she shook her head, she moved past his hand and began to lick his stomach. This was pushing into territory they had never ventured, she had never licked his skin before, not matter how much she had wanted to, how many times she had masturbated thinking about licking his flesh. He let her, he exhaled as she licked his cum off his stomach, licking him clean and without thinking he brought his own coated finger to his mouth and sucked it. 

The whole night has seemed surreal, and now he was tired. He reached above to the rail where she all kept his boxer shorts and she looked at him questioningly. “Can’t sleep naked, sorry.” He smiled at her as he got dressed and came back to bed.

“You didn’t get off.” He had been sated but she must have been buzzing, needing to cum. How could she not. He brought his arm around her and cuddled her close. He didn’t know what to do, but he wanted to hold her.

Carol draped an arm across his chest giddy that he was holding her. “I did. When you were out kissing Rick.” She was ready to cum again but she didn’t mind at all. Tonight had been more than she ever expected out of her relationship with Daryl and she wasn’t going to screw it up over her own desire to orgasm. “Kiss my hair and say goodnight.” He did exactly that.

\--

Rick woke hard in his bunk. Not a complete surprise these days, but there were so many more reasons this time. Kissing Daryl had fucked with his head, he had always considered himself straight, even after the blow job and the fuck in the shower. Those incidents had been specific isolated events. And even though they had been the source of many orgasms since, he never thought of himself as gay. But that kiss in the guard tower last night, the passion that they shared, that is the moment that made his question his sexuality more than any other. He thought about that kiss all night as he stayed up with the kid in the tower. Just before the sun came up when they were relieved by Carl. He mussed the boys hair and said goodnight. 

He didn’t know how long he had slept but most everyone was outside already, breakfast had been served and cleared as he came through the dinning space. Carol was cleaning up when he walked in. Rick flashed back to last night, the looks that were exchanged between them, Daryl kissing her hair. He wasn’t sure what she knew, how involved they were, but he knew she at least had a hunch. She smiled and handed him a spoon, he sat at the table closest to the sink as she ladled out oatmeal, grabbed a peach and poured him a cup of coffee. They were eating peaches with everything since Maggie and Glenn had found a few ripe trees on their last run. They tasted like heaven.

She sat quietly with him as he ate, she didn’t want him to have to eat alone. She watched as he lifted the spoon and put it in his mouth, the way his lips wiped it clean as he withdrew it. Those lips that she knew had kissed Daryl last night. She had never even kissed him, not on the mouth anyways. She had kissed his shoulder once and his hand a few times, but never his mouth. She was jealous. “Where is everyone?” Rick wasn’t looking for everyone, just his core group mostly, his kids.

Carol played with peach he had not yet bitten into. “Beth has Jude, Carl went with Maggie and Glenn on a run. Daryl is hunting.” She knew he didn’t care about anyone else. She knew where everyone was, old and new they all checked in with her. Rick seemed confused, Daryl hadn’t really gone hunting in a few weeks now, he had been letting Michonne take other people as he had been sticking close to camp. She knew what his look was about. “I think he needed to clear his head.” 

She passed the peach to him and watched as he ate it, juicy and ripe. She was fascinated with him mouth and he didn’t seem to mind her watching him eat. They made small talk as he ate and she smiled as it dripped into his beard a little. It was all so sexy. Carol got up and cleared his bowl then reached and wiped the peach juice from the corner of his mouth with her thumb then licked it. Rick smiled as he got up and left the room with his coffee cup.

\--

Daryl was comfortable in the woods, Michonne had offered to come with him, but he wanted the alone time. The drive to the top of the ridge, the walk to the tree stand he had rigged months ago, the quiet in his perch as he watched the ground below. The worst thing that could happen was Walkers coming into this space, but in three months he had never seen one, this valley had been ripe with small animals and it was on a path clear to the stream, spring had brought plenty of midsize animals. Now with summer approaching he figured something larger would come through this way. But none of this was really what he was thinking about. 

Everything had gotten so out of control in the past twelve hours. Kissing Rick, getting off in front of Carol, letting her clean him up, holding her all night then watching Rick sleep this morning. He had woken to Rick’s footfalls going past his cell, he had been tempted to go and talk to him. He heard the cop undress and fall into his bunk. Even three cells apart he could clearly hear as his friend sighed loudly then quickly fell asleep. Carol was still in his arms as he rolled her away and he snuck out of bed. He dressed quickly, slung his crossbow over his shoulder and carried his boots. He stood in the doorway watching Rick. He was sound asleep and breathing steadily. Daryl would have loved to have set things down and crawled into bed next to Rick. Daryl wasn’t a cuddler, he hadn’t been lying about that, but he was drawn to this tall well-built man who had kissed him fiercely last night. Jude fussing in Beth’s cell had drawn Daryl’s attention away. He walked back a cell and saw the baby starting to wake. She was getting too big for the crib she was in. He walked in and she calmed.

“Too early little one, sleep more.” He kissed her and stayed next to her crib, putting on his boots and waiting for her to go back to sleep. 

Beth was groggy, but not surprised to see Daryl next to the crib. “Thanks.” He soothed that child better than anyone ever could. 

Why now was this all converging on him, he had been drawn to Carol from the start, damaged people always attracted other damaged people. He wished he could have given her what she needed from him, but they had gotten into a rhythm that was working for them, or so it seemed to. Sleeping in the same bed, gentle platonic kisses. He was her protector and she seemed to be accepting of that. He jammed his buck knife into the platform he was sitting on, it echoed through the trees. Fuck that Rick for upsetting his calm. That blow job had been a favor, a way to relax his best friend to bring an end to the bitching for a while. And getting fucked by Rick had been a comfort. Helping Daryl to cope with things so he didn’t run away. Just friends being friends in this messed up world. But that kiss last night, that had crossed a line of intimacy that Daryl didn’t know how to deal with. 

He had liked the kissed, really liked it. Hell he wanted to do more of it. But then he climbed into bed with Carol and got off in front of her. Because he wanted to do that as well. She knew they had kissed, she knew there was more going on than just kissing. She got off on it. How the fuck had Daryl gotten to this point in his life. What messed with his head even more, was how comfortable he was with it all. 

“I want to see you kiss Rick.” Her voice seared into his brain. He wanted her to see it, he wanted to kiss Rick in front of her. But to what end. He didn’t envision the three of them together, he didn’t imagine having sex with Carol, which had never been something he thought he could do. And he didn’t think Rick was looking for an audience. He leaned back and let the day roll by.

\--

Three days later and things were business as usual. Even when they had been given a chance to be alone, the guys had not picked up where they had left off. Rick had shaken it all off and simply went back to jerking off to memories and waiting for the next appropriate chance to be intimate with Daryl. 

“Seen Carol?” Rick asked in the kitchen. Beth told him that she was down in the tombs, in the laundry room. 

Down the winding halls with spray painted arrows directing the way to the room the used for laundry. Woodbury had proved to be useful when they figured out how to rig the solar panel to run the water pump and get a washer tub working. He watched her bending over moving clothing from a basket to the tub. She did have a lovely ass, he had never failed to notice it. He leaned in the door way waiting for her, he didn’t want to scare her. 

“Quit staring at her ass.” Daryl’s voice was low and came from the side in a darkened corner. They both heard him but she kept working and Rick just laughed. 

Carol didn’t mind the thought of Rick staring, not even a little. “You can both stare all you want.” She continued to sort.

Rick walked in and stood next to Daryl, not close enough to touch. “Sue me, she has a cute butt.” They guys smiled. 

“S’up?” Daryl wondered what had brought the fearless leader down the laundry room. 

“Setting up a supply run and I need Carol’s list.” She had a hold of the inventory as well as he did, he liked to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. She turned to them after she had finished starting the wash. They were breathtaking together, standing side by side with their arms crossed. Daryl looking so relaxed while Rick tried not to obviously look at either one of them. She stepped closer to them and closed the door on her way, the room was well lit with two small oil lamps and she could see them both perfectly, though in this light her face was shadowed. She stepped to Daryl and touched his face. When would this opportunity present itself again so easily? “Please.” She said it close to his cheek. They hadn’t spoken about her request since she had made it that night, but he knew exactly what she was talking about. He loved her, truly loved her. Even though he couldn’t give her the physical relationship she wanted out of him, but he also couldn’t deny her. Daryl nodded, his shoulders slumped and he exhaled a breath.

Rick had no idea what she was asking or why his friend had reacted the way he did. He felt like his was intruding on some private moment, but he couldn’t seem to leave either. Carol stepped back, giving them room and waited on Daryl.

He turned and waiting for Rick to look at him. Rick shifted from Carol’s face to Daryl’s and his piercing eyes brought Daryl to his knees. They were both getting hard, even though Rick wasn’t sure what was going on, the sexual tension in the room was thick. Daryl didn’t want to give him room to stop him, he stepped in, clasped his hand at the base of his friend’s neck and kissed him, hard. Rick tried to back away, he hadn’t expected it but Daryl’s one hand held him in place. He kissed him again, and again. Till Rick’s eyes shifted between his two friends and then finally closed. Then Rick kissed him back, their hands clenching at each other’s neck and hair. Carol gasped at the animal need they both had, she backed up to the washing machine and leaned against it.

She had asked to see, asked to watch them together, but she hadn’t expected this full body reaction of herself. Her nipples were stiff, rubbing inside her shirt as her breath quickened. She was wet, soaking wet instantly. The site of these two together was intoxicating and delicious. She wanted to see more. 

Rick had step closer, pushing his hard cock into Daryl’s. When he finally came up for air he stopped them both. “What the fuck?” He wasn’t mad, just confused and turned on beyond belief. 

Carol was forever protecting Daryl, “I wanted to see.” She took the blame for the kiss.

The men had not let go of each other, Daryl had never looked away, he just waited. 

“See what?” Rick’s fingers tightened in the dark hair he held.

Carol eased up and sat on the washing machine. “Whatever.” He hadn’t stopped the situation, she didn’t want to leave. She took a seat and waited for the show.

Rick closed his eyes and tipped his head back, could he actually do it? Could he kiss this man in front of Carol? Daryl didn’t give him a chance to think about it. He licked Rick’s neck, from the collar of his shirt with the flat of his tongue straight up to his ear where he bit at his earlobe and pushed his cock into Rick’s. The animal in them both was uncaged, they started at buttons and pulling at clothing, in a way that they had never been before. Biting and scratching at flesh till they were both kicking off boots and pealing out of pants. They were practically naked when they looked over to Carol for the first time. She was leaning back one hand up her own shirt the other down her pants. She was touching herself. Her eyes half closed she gushed when they looked at her. 

Daryl smiled, he had never seen her like this, and never would have expected to. “Too much?” He was joking, he knew this was more than she had expected, but exactly what she wanted. She shook her head ‘no’ to him, this was not too much at all and she was greedy. The hand down her pants never slowed. “More?” Daryl was direct?

She nodded a ‘yes’, she would watch whatever they were willing to show.

Rick looked back to his friend and waited for his cue, this was for them, not for himself this time and he was determined to keep it that way. Daryl pushed his friend to his knees, he hit hard on the concrete floor but neither of them cared, he slid down the boxers that Daryl was wearing, worked him out of the jeans that were bunched at his ankles then he put his hands on Daryl’s hips. He looked at the cock in front of him, hard and pulsing, it was wider than his own and for a moment he flinched thinking of how much it would hurt if Daryl ever tried to fuck him. But this was not about him, he wrapped his hand and began to suck, the first dick ever in his mouth and like Daryl had done, it took a few minutes to find a rhythm, figure out how to do it, but he did. Sucking deep, long and slow at first getting used to the size and the feel of it then faster as Daryl dug his fingers into Rick’s shoulder. He held his balls tight and stroked up and down, it felt good in his mouth, he could do this more often. 

Daryl was normally quiet during sex, he had been quiet when she watched him jerking off, he rarely made a sound till the end. But this was different. Being watched, sucked so deep, looking down at his best friend, the grown that came from him was primal and it scared him for a second. He fucked into Rick’s mouth pushing deep inside, gagging his friend, but he couldn’t stop himself from doing it, the pleasure of the closing throat around his tip. He was the same way in sex, always fucking too hard, needing to be in control of the speed and the pace. That’s why it had been so easy with Rick up till now. He simply had to take whatever Rick was giving him, he never had to try and keep himself in check. 

It’s also why he had never touched Carol. Part of his damaged past was the fact that he could not fuck gently and she never deserved anything less than that. But for now he let himself get lost in the mouth that was taking him deep. He knew Carol was still masturbating, he could see her from the corner of his eye, but he let himself enjoy the skillful blowjob he was receiving and let her have her time to herself.

Rick had skills, as if he had done this before. His mouth felt perfect and Daryl was close to cumming. Rick’s hand was dripping in spit and he was ready for this blowjob to be over, though he enjoyed it, his knees were starting to hurt as was the spot on his head where Daryl kept pulling his hair. Rick used both hands, sliding around to his friend’s ass, spreading him with one hand and working a wet finger in with the other. Daryl groaned again and pushed deep into the warm mouth. That’s all it took to push him over the top. The dark haired man exploded, cum shooting down Rick’s throat, into his mouth and out of the corner of his lips. Rick swallowed what he could as Daryl bucked in aftershocks. 

Rick closed his eyes, leaned back and wiped his mouth. Unchartered territory with his best friend again. This time with an audience, this had made it ever sexier. Rick looked over, she must have cum at some point but he didn’t know when, she was simply sitting and watching now. 

\--

The dining hall was loud tonight, the core group sat together and watched as Carl sat with some of the Woodbury kids, a young lady in particular who seemed interested in the boy. Young love, it was so cute to watch and something they didn’t actually think Carl would ever have the chance to experience. 

Rick and Daryl had kicked out the late night watch team, they wanted the tower to talk. 

“So why am I suckin’ you off instead of her?” Rick watched off into the distance while Daryl took aim at ‘Red Dress’ with a crossbow he had no intention of firing. 

He shook his head slightly, he didn’t want to talk about it. 

Rick wasn’t one for letting things go, especially if he knew it would get a rise out of Daryl. “You’d rather fuck my mouth than her pussy. I find that hard to believe.” He never looked over but he kept the hunter in the corner of his eye.

“Shut up.” Daryl had said it with clenched teeth. 

Rick knew Daryl cared about her, probably even loved her, there was no doubt about that. That whole scene in the laundry room had been for her benefit. “You can’t avoid fucking her forever.” He knew Carol well enough, she would push him someday.

Daryl relaxed his crossbow, “Gonna stop fuckin’ you too if ya don’t shut up.”

“You ain’t fucked me at all” 

Daryl smirked. “Not yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm guessing it's not over.


	4. I get it - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another supply run, another night alone for the guys. Rick can't seem to figure out what is going through Daryl's mind, but maybe he will by the end of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be a two part installment. Normally I post them all together, but I am still crafting the filth on that one. So, I give you part one and I assure you part two is not far behind. Thank you too everyone who has read, and shared my work with others. These two have been mucking around in my brain pretty consistently for a while now and I am glad that I have been able to get it all into a coherent tale that I have been able to share. Enjoy.
> 
> This picks up right after the laundry room incident. After they have had dinner and spent time with the rest of the group.

(Later that night)  
Carol tossed in bed for hours while he sat in that guard tower with Rick. Daryl had walked her to their cell after social hour, kissed her on the hair and mumbled something about taking a watch shift. It’s what he did when he wanted to avoid things. She also knew that Rick had the same plan, he had said it to Hershel as folks were winding down for the night. She had seen too much in the laundry room. She had asked for it, Daryl had even asked if it was too much. In the moment it may not have been, but now in retrospect, it might have all been too much.

Carol had been in love with Daryl for so long that the lines between friendship and love were blurred beyond comprehension. She wanted him as a protector, a friend, a lover, she lusted after him in ways that made her crazy and afraid. In all her years with Ed, even the few that had been okay, she had never gotten herself tied in knots the way she did for Daryl. It never truly bothered her that their relationship hadn’t gotten physical. He had a past of abuse that she could relate to, being mistreated for no reason can fuck with your mind and lead you to places you never expected. She had accepted the fact that his abuse prevented him from getting physically close to anyone. Well, apparently to her. He seemed to be able to get close to Rick just fine.

She held his blue sleeveless shirt to her face and inhaled the scent of him. Normally she would be afraid of doing that, what if she fell asleep holding on to it, he might come to bed and see her with it. But after what she saw tonight, what he let her watch, the show he had allowed to happen – she didn’t care. She inhaled the scent of sweat, dirt, the lingering smell of death that they all seemed to carry with them. But under all of that there was the musky unique smell of Daryl. She folded it into a small square and used it as a pillow, and then she caught a faint whiff of the laundry soap they used and she was back in that room watching Rick on his knees as he sucked Daryl to orgasm. The way Rick dropped without question when Daryl prompted him, the deep red color his cock had when Rick pushed the boxers down to his ankles. There was a smirk to Rick’s face when he wrapped his fist around the shaft and brought his mouth to the tip. Carol couldn’t identify the smirk but she saw it. It was sexy the way Daryl let Rick slide his lips over the dripping tip and find a rhythm to the sucking. Ed had forced his cock into Carol’s mouth for so long, she was jealous of the way that Daryl let Rick simply find his own path to something pleasurable for both of them. She could clearly see the image of Daryl’s arched back and the muscle that flexed in his forearm as he came. The long drizzle of cum from the corner of Rick’s mouth as Daryl filled him too full.

What she wouldn’t have given to be in his place, on her knees. She wouldn’t have spilled a drop. Ed had trained her not to. He wouldn’t have allow it. Not that she had been unhappy watching. Those two men together were the sexiest thing she had ever seen. Rick, the leader, powerful and always in control. To be on his knees that way working to pleasure his number two. And Daryl, careful to make sure she could see it all. Bad assed one minute, giving to her next. She wanted to be pissed or jealous or unsure about the entire situation, but instead it just made her wet all over again.

(Four Days Later)  
Daryl was the master of avoidance. He was more stoic then most when he wanted to be and he really had no desire to talk to either of them about the events that had occurred earlier in the week. What was the point? Rick needed to be kissed. Carol needed to see what was going on between those two. And Daryl was simply doing what he did best lately, giving people what they needed to move situations along. That first blowjob was given to make Rick stop whining. He jerked off in front of Carol to make her happy. He kissed Rick in the tower because Rick needed to feel that connection. Letting Carol watch them together was to help her understand what was going on without having to talk to her. Yes, Daryl was just being the fixer of the group that he was evolving into.

And even though he didn’t want to talk about any of it, he didn’t want to be around anyone other than the two of them either. Hell, he and Rick were walking the fence line so much lately that Glenn worried that there was something ominous they weren’t telling the group. When they made the rounds they didn’t touch, they barely spoke, but they occupied space and time together in a way that made Daryl feel content. When meals rolled around he shared them as he always did. Breakfast with Judith, lunch in the field with whomever he was working with on chores then dinner with Carol and Rick. 

It was late, social hour, the core group had sat playing cards till late into the night. By the time Daryl and Carol had climbed up to their cell they were both too tied to undress for bed, they laid down in the clothes they had worn all day.

“Hold me?” Her voice was small, tired. 

He adjusted his arm and opened himself up to her, “Ah hu.” He nodded and she curled up to him.

She had wanted to talk for days but it had never seemed right. It never would, so tonight was as good a time as any. “We ever gonna talk again Daryl?”

He stared up at the ceiling as she looked down the length of his body with her head on his chest. “We talk.” He whispered.

“No, we chat. About day to day. We haven’t talked in days.” She wanted to straddle him, to bring her face to his and to force him to talk. But that would just make him shut down. He wouldn’t leave physically, but mentally he would be gone.

The silence in their cell was intense, he listened to her breathing, “Nothin’ to talk ‘bout.” His tone was flat.

Carol had to force herself not to snap at him. She took a long breath, “Think there’s plenty to talk about.” She was soft spoken.

Daryl used his free hand to play with her hair, even as short as she kept it, it felt good to run his fingers through. “You mad ‘bout wha’ ‘appened?”

“No.” She wanted to face him, so he would know she was being honest, she wasn’t mad about any of it, she just thought it should all be talked about.

He kissed her hair. “Then nothin’ to talk ‘about. It’s what needed to ‘appen.” He shushed her and gently stroked her arm. They fell asleep quickly.

(Two weeks later)  
The group had been focused harder and harder on procuring supplies. Winter clothing, fuel, medical supplies, tools and varied other items that would get them through the next months. A game plan for farming and stabilization had been drafted and now it was time for small groups to go out with their specific lists and recover what they needed. They had picked through what was close to the prison. So had other survivors. Now it was time to branch out to more remote places that would take days of travel and fuel.

They were getting a later start than they had planned, Rick packed the truck with a few day’s worth of food and secured the tarp over the bed of the truck. In the back of the truck was a 97 gallon fuel transfer tank that Glenn had acquired on a recent scouting mission, he had filled it better than half way as he worked his way back to the prison and they had transferred that to the barrel tanks they were trying to fill. Now it was up to Rick and Daryl to fill it again. Their first stop was going to be back to that boarding school, the one with the gas pump. If they could get it to work they could dry that tank clean in a matter of days.

Daryl hugged Carol by the driver’s side door not caring who saw them. People figured they were having sex anyways. She handed him a box of ammo for the pistol he had packed. “Be careful.” There were not many folks around this time, a few were on runs, including Carl with Glenn and Maggie. But Beth was there, walking with Judith on her still shaky legs. Rick hugged his little girl and kissed her forehead. “See you soon little one.” She replied with a mumbled “Da da”, then Beth scooped her up and brought her Daryl. 

“Dar! Dar! Dar!” She squirmed in Beth’s arms till she put her down. Jude almost fell but caught herself and ran to Daryl pushing by Carol. He picked her up.

He looked her in the eyes, “You be good while I’m gone little ass kicker.” She smiled and nodded.

“Stop calling her that!” Rick was getting into the passenger side of the truck.

They all laughed as he put her back down. “Go be good for Beth.” She and Beth scampered off.

Daryl got in the truck and turned the key. “Back in a day or so.”

Carol looked worried, not just about them being gone or the fact that there were walkers to contend with, but that transfer tank not only made them a target on the road, but it wasn’t one hundred percent safe either. 

Rick smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of him.” He couldn’t help himself. He hated to see her worried and it was the first time in a while it had felt right to joke with her.

Daryl shook his head, looking straight ahead.

Carol burst out laughing. “I’m sure you will.” She flashed back to Rick on his knees. “Get out of here you two.” She walked to the gate as they rolled toward it. 

\--------

This time Rick slept in the cab of the truck for most of the ride, he had one hand on his thigh the other holding his head from hitting the glass, Daryl snuck looks while his friend slept. He was wearing a newer pair of jeans that actually fit him as opposed to what Daryl was wearing most days that were too baggy. His shirt was unbuttoned three or four from the top, stained and dirty, but everything was these days, His chest hair filled the open “v” and it reminded Daryl how that had felt pushed up against his back in the shower. Muscle against muscle, Rick never acknowledging his scars as he leaned against him. Daryl had pushed back into him that day knowing Rick would not fall off balance. The feel of his toned arm wrapped around him, even when he didn’t want to be held. He liked the strength Rick possessed. When he held Carol at night, he was always afraid of hurting her. Though she was stronger now than when he had met her, she was still delicate compared to this man sitting next to him. Rick’s hand twitched and brought Daryl’s eyes lower, to his package. Even asleep Rick was half hard and filling out the front of those jeans. Daryl shook his head trying not to think too much about his friends’ dick. 

As they approached the gate, Daryl slapped at Rick’s thigh waking him. The walkers they had dropped the last time they were here were still heaped where they fell, only one new one seemed to be in the area and that was on the outside of the fence. Rick woke fully alert, saw the walker Daryl was pointing to, grabbed the axe that he had resting in the cab. He got of the vehicle and with one clean swipe he split the walkers’ skull in half and took part of its left shoulder. He had only been using this fireman’s axe for a few weeks now, but he loved the feel of it in his hands, better than his gun. Though it wasn’t the right choice for a full blown battle, for something like this it felt good.

Daryl sat deep into the bench seat and watched at Rick lifted the worn axe, feet planted apart for stability, one smooth stroke placed in such a way the spray of goo never kicked back on him. The axe looked good in his hands, comfortable and fierce. Daryl caught himself staring at the long length of Rick’s back as he friend stood over his kill. When the well-defined man turned back to the truck they made eye contact and smiled. Well, more like smirked.

The gas pump was behind the last building, far from everything else, the hose had been ripped off, someone who had no idea what they were doing had destroyed the pump. But they quickly found the fill to the underground tank. Assuming there was any gas left this would be easy enough to siphon. The stick meter was propped near the ruined pump and they unscrewed the cover. Right around two hundred gallons. They both let out a well needed laugh. They would be able to fill the truck, the transfer tank and still comeback for more. It wasn’t a mother lode, but it was a good and easy start. They worked the hand crank and filled the transfer tank.

“We could make it back before late.” Daryl was strapping the tarp back down.

Rick had his boot on the bumper, he was fixing his laces. “We could sweep the other dorm buildings.” Rick wasn’t in a rush to go back to the prison. He wasn’t in a rush to get Daryl back to the prison. 

Daryl liked the idea of staying too late as opposed to trying to make it back before night fall. “Yeah.”

Rick used his axe to open the back door, Daryl dropped the walker in the hallway with his cross bow. The cop was back to his buck knife and his gun with a silencer. There were more walkers then they expected, but they worked in unison to clear the space. Another score in this dorm, one floor of girls, one of guys. Though they didn’t have clothes or books on their list, they cleaned out the closets filling the back of the truck. Some kid had a library of good reading that Rick knew they would all be excited to see. 

They settled into a room on the first floor again, Carol had packed them some fresh fruit and dried meats, pretty standard for meals now for road trips. They lit the portable oil lamp while they ate and chatted. About nothing and everything. They tried not to talk about the prison; it was just nice to get away. 

“Got it sorted out with Carol?” Rick was sitting in an arm chair, boots off, shirt off. They had opened the window but it was still stifling in the room. He was staring at Daryl who was half sitting, mostly laying in the bed on the opposite wall. He had stripped out of his pants but still had on his boxers and a wife-beater t-shirt. He answered with a shrug of his shoulders. “You’re still not…” Rick wanted to ask if they were fucking. But the question seemed crudely worded even directed to Daryl.

“Nah.” Things with Carol had gone straight back to the way that they before the laundry room incident. Daryl was back in his comfort zone with both of them now.

Rick picked up an apple and tossed it towards Daryl’s head. “What the fuck is your problem?” Okay, he could have worded that better, but honestly, what the hell was Daryl waiting for, there was a willing woman in his bed every night, Rick would have given anything for that most of the time.

Daryl ignored the question, he took the apple and his buck knife and started to cut it into wedges. He ate the first one then offered the second piece to Rick. The cop did not miss the irony of being tempted across the room by someone with and apple, he crossed, tuned his back to the bed and sat on the floor leaning against the frame. He held his hand back, shoulder lever and waited for Daryl to hand him the piece. The shared the apple till the last piece was gone and Daryl placed his empty hand in Ricks. They held hands for a moment and with his eyes closed Rick spoke. “We gonna?”

It’s all Daryl had been thinking about since he had figured they were leaving the prison too late to be back the same day. He wanted it as much as Rick did even if there was no excuse for it this time. “Yeah.” Rick stood up and Daryl pulled off this T-shirt. Rick crawled on top of him and they kissed. No fear of getting caught, not for show, they just kissed. Hard and fast, facial hair scraping and hands roaming. Daryl trailed from his lips to his shoulder, kissing and biting and enjoying the way Rick let him take the lead. He manhandled his friend till they had changed places, he wanted to be on top as he worked his mouth down Rick chest, to his nipple where he sucked hard and licked, then to the side of his ribs where the feel of Rick’s fingers in his long dark hair turned him on. He bit Rick’s side, into the muscle, sucking and biting, never breaking the skin but he was going to leave marks for sure. 

Rick thought pulling his hair would make him stop, but it only served to make Daryl’s dick harder and his bite more pronounced. God, it hurt like hell but it felt so good. He couldn’t imagine Carol enjoying this the way he did. When his friend was finally done marking his side they finished undressing each other. God his dick was beautiful Rick thought, he had loved sucking on it, it seemed to fit his mouth well. And he had a hunch that he was going to find out where else it fit tonight. 

Daryl pushed his friend down on the bed face first but Rick resisted. “No, face to face.” He didn’t want to be some faceless fuck for Daryl. 

Exasperated, “Jesus!” He always had to be in charge, if Daryl wasn’t so used to it, it might have really pissed him off. He waited till Rick was on his back then settled between his legs, licking at the bulging, dripping tip that was hot and red. He spit lower and began to work a finger into his friend’s ass. His body resisted at first but loosened up quickly. One finger than two, then Daryl was done, he was ready to get in there. He pushed Rick’s legs to his chest, stroked himself a few times adding a bit of spit to the tip then lined himself up. His face looked more like he was doing complicated math than having sex, that was till his tip breached the ring of muscles and Rick exhaled a ‘fuck’. 

He knew Daryl’s cock was wide, what the hell had he been thinking, this was going to hurt, a lot. Daryl added a hand full of spit to his shaft and pushed his way till he was fully seated. He thought he was going to pass out. He had never been anywhere so tight and warm that felt so perfect around him. He should have been looking at Rick’s face, but he was focused on the dick that bounced between them. When he pushed as far as he could, Rick grabbed and started to stroke himself. Apparently it felt okay. And there it began, the hard pounding he wanted to give, the aggressive fuck that he had been imagining since the last time they had been in this school together. He didn’t hold back, he fucked hard and fast gripping into Rick’s hip and shoulder, bringing his mouth to flesh occasionally but mostly just thrusting hard. He hadn’t been paying much attention till Rick orgasmed onto both of them. Once Daryl felt the wet heat against his flesh, he was done for. He came quick and hard, stroking over and over till every dropped was milked from him. 

He tried not to collapse but he lost that battle. Rick held him up as they panted together. Finally, Daryl pulled out slowly enjoying every spasm till he was free. He rolled to the inside of the bed and slowed to catch his breath. Well, Rick thought he had caught his breath, actually he had fallen asleep. Rick watched him sleeping, peaceful. 

This was the moment when Rick figured it all out. Why Daryl never had sex with Carol. This was the type of sex Daryl needed. Hard, fast, disconnected. Then to be left alone after his own satisfaction. He didn’t see Daryl wanting to treat Carol that way. She would need to be connected to him, and he didn’t want that.

Rick got out of bed, pulled a t-shirt from the closet, dumped water from their gallon jug and cleaned himself and his friend up. Then he grabbed the sheet from the other bed and laid down next to Daryl. When their bodies made contact, Daryl rolled to face the wall. Rick finally understood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of your feedback has been wonderful, I hope you will continue. I want to know what you like, hate, what makes you smirk or turns you on. Thanks and Part two will be up soon!


	5. I get it - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Sorry for the delay, I had to work and rework this a few times to get it right. Thanks to Buster's Jezebel for keeping me on the straight and narrow and letting me know that I am not to pervy... but rather just pervy enough!! 
> 
> **Obviously while the writers were working on S4, I was crafting this tale of smut. Our paths have diverged and I guess I have to admit that this is now AU. Maybe I should have sent a copy of this to Kirkman and Darabont and given them something to chew on. Oh well, our tale continues.

Carol was awake listening to Daryl breath. He hadn’t slept much these past nights since he and Rick had gotten back from their last run, she was positive that they had had sex and she was jealous. She had wanted him for so long, and they had connected in so many ways except on this one fundamental, basic, primal level. That he shared with Rick. Her imagination had been running wild with her imagining all the things they had done while they were gone. Pulled over on the side of the road, in a dorm room, Rick taking Daryl, one sucking off the other, the kissing and the touching. She tried to shake the thoughts from her head even though it turned her on to no end to think of them together, it pissed her off that Rick was what Daryl wanted. She listened to him breathing, debated suffocating him, but only momentarily, than went back to enjoying being next to him. At least she got to share his bed every night. 

Rick was awake three cells away, hand wrapped around his cock as he stroked thinking back to that night in the boarding school. Not the most recent one where Daryl had marked him and fucked him but that first time, when Daryl was on his knees for Rick, sucking him deep. Their first encounter together and the one that make Rick the hardest all the time. He couldn’t get past those moments of submission, Daryl kneeling, looking up at Rick, letting Rick cradle is face, being gagged without concern, swallowing him completely. It was the only time that they had been together that Daryl had been submissive and it turned Rick on more than he would ever admit. He spit into his hand, stroked fast, gripping hard as he held his balls tight till he came on himself, Christ he had been doing this every day for weeks now. Thinking of Daryl and jerking off. The man had taken over Rick’s brain. 

He cleaned himself up running his fingers over the bitten bruise that Daryl had given him, fuck he wanted more of these. He loved the painful way Daryl had bitten him, marked him. Glenn had noticed it yesterday and asked, he had made up some story on the spot of hitting into a door knob at the boarding school while fighting Walkers. Rick quickly pulled a shirt on and shifted the erection that had instantly formed. 

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Daryl was having breakfast with Judith sharing oatmeal and fruit, when he saw Rick come into the room and watched him walk. The room was buzzing with people but Daryl never noticed any of them after he came in. Dark pants that hugged his hips, his button up shirt tucked in, Rick always looked put together, so unlike Daryl. Judith never noticed what had taken Daryl’s focus off of her she simply pulled at his hand that was holding his spoon, she wanted what he was eating, till he smiled her way again. Half watching his best friend serve himself some breakfast and scan the tables for a place to sit, he joined Carl but sat so he could look in Daryl’s direction. 

They were both in their own conversations with the kids but they couldn’t stop looking to each other. Daryl was just about done and Beth took her cue to come and take bowls and the little one. This time it was Rick who watched Daryl walk across the room and out the door. It was cooling off in Georgia, and Daryl zipped up the front of his vest as he walked the fence line looking for weaknesses and trying not to think. Damn, Rick looked good this morning, relaxed and in charge. Daryl hadn’t felt relaxed in days. Every night he went to bed stiff, smelling Carol all around him, wanting to feel her body yet thinking of being inside Rick. His redneck brain was a mess. He woke this morning to Carol’s face near to his, he wanted to kiss her, but then he heard Rick’s boots walking past their cell, slowing just a bit then fast again down the stairs to check on the fences. He wanted to kiss her, but she would want more. He wanted to get up and follow Rick, but being alone with him would just lead to sex. 

Honestly, Daryl believed that he could give them both what they really wanted. But then he’d have to choose between them, and shit, he just couldn’t do that. So for now he was holding Carol in the dark, lusting after Rick in the day light and one or both of them was occasionally pushing him past his comfort zone into crazy unchartered acts of sexual need. The days felt mundane, the nights out of control and it was all the kind of thing that would make Daryl want to leave for a while and hide in the woods. He would tell them tonight that he was leaving in the morning. 

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

Carol had packed up supplies for Daryl and put the backpack near the door of their cell. Daryl had tuned his crossbow after dinner and tucked Judith into bed. They were changing for bed, half turned from each other and the door out of politeness then they crawled into bed together, he held her close. Last week he had dismantled the upper bunk, making this a double wide bolted together, they were more comfortable now. She smelled nice, she had showered today with something floral that he had brought back from a run. He took a deep whiff of her hair and she smiled. 

“You smelling me?” She snuggled closer as he held her tight.

“Ya smell good.” He kissed her hair.

The frustration of sleeping in the same bed with the man you love and never being touched the way you craved to be was grating on her. She tried to not think about it. He kissed her hair again. And again. Not something he normally did more than once. Oh god, something was wrong. This was too out of character for Daryl. “What?” She slid her hand to his naked stomach.

“Nothin’.” He kissed her one more time before she turned her face to his. 

“Daryl, tell me what’s wrong.” Had he had some gut instinct that he was going to die on his hunting trip? Had something happened between him and Rick today? She began to panic.

Daryl brushed his fingers down along her cheek to her lips, he ran his thumb along the bottom one and then leaned forward to kiss her. He paused, looked into her eyes and they kissed. Tentative and soft, she was so warm and even though she was startled, she kissed him back. Her mouth was perfect, opened just slightly so he could slide his tongue into her as she grazed her short nails on his skin. He slid a hand up the back of her neck into her hair and she moaned into his mouth. His dick got hard, well harder, and he kissed her deep. Daryl’s brain was spinning, thoughts were mashing as he tried to keep it all straight. ‘Don’t hurt her, not too hard…. Don’t pull her hair…. You can’t fuck her hard…. You can’t fuck her at all…. She can’t take it the way Rick can…. He likes the way you slam into him…. Damn it stop thinking of fucking Rick.’ His thoughts distracted his kissing and he pulled away. Her nails on his skin felt good, he liked the scraping, but she stopped when he did.

“Sorry.” He apologized to her. 

She tried to kiss him again but he turned from her. “Nothing to be sorry about Daryl. Want you to kiss me.” 

He spoke with almost no voice. “Shouldn’t ‘ave.” He went back to stroking her hair.

Carol couldn’t take it. She’d rather have nothing from him than teases and apologizes. She rolled away from him, still in his arm as she didn’t want to fight with him. “Can’t kiss me but you can kiss him.” She said it quietly but he heard every word of it.

“Fuck.” He turned away. They shared the bed back to back for the first time. She was fuming and he didn’t know what to do. Their perfect first kiss, but it ended in disaster, his fault, hers? Neither of them really slept. 

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

Daryl had found this place a while ago, the hunting was pretty good, the fact that there was a one room shack was even better. And the fact that the shack was barely habitable didn’t bother him at all. Someone had stayed here since the last time he was here, ‘Matt still alive, still fighting’ carved into the wall. Daryl wished it were still true for Matt. Daryl had gotten a few small animals today, packed them in the cooler to keep the smell from attracting Walkers, bags of ice cold stream water would keep things safe enough for the next day till he got back. 

The moon light was shifting beyond his window now, he closed the book he had been reading not wanting to waste battery life just to see how ‘Buckskin Man’ would end. He laid back on the makeshift bunk and let his brain go. He had been fighting it all day, didn’t want to think about things going on back at the prison, about kissing Carol or the way he and Rick had said goodbye under the cover of darkness by the base of the guard tower. His brain drifting to kissing, the differences between Carol and Rick, soft verses rough, gentle opposed to needy. He liked them both, fuck he craved them both. Daryl had undressed himself leaving on his pants and boots and pulled his cock out before he really even noticed what he was doing. Stiff and dripping he started slow, using images of Carol asking to see him kiss Rick flowed into memories of Rick buried deep inside him, pressed against him. The taste of seaman still lingered in Daryl’s brain. Smacking his dick against his stomach before getting back to earnest stroking and hard squeezing. Though he drifted back to moments with Rick, his clearest most vivid memories involved Carol. Calling him out on wanting to see him stroke while thinking of Rick, her tasting the cum off his flesh. The most clear visual of all was the one of Rick sucking him off while Carol sat with her fingers deep inside herself, eyes half closed accepting and enjoying the show in front of her. That’s the one they made him spurt. Hot liquid seared his skin as he smiled.

Daryl woke thinking that something needed to change even if he didn’t know what it was. He carefully carved “Me too – Daryl” under Matt’s inscription and headed out for a morning of hunting before heading back to the prison. 

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

They had ambushed him. It was almost funny the way it came together. He had come back to the prison greeted by some newbies who took his trophies away to the kitchen for cleaning and preserving. He tromped up the stairs to the cells crashed on his bed. He didn’t know were Rick or Carol were but he wasn’t concerned either, it was mid-day, there were chores to be done.

He woke to Carol’s weight on the bed and Rick kneeling next to his head. He wasn’t sure how he had missed them coming into the cell. “Come on buddy, we’re hitting a run before dark. Say goodbye to my daughter before she freaks out about you leaving again.” Rick stood up and waited. 

Carol was sitting by his feet smiling. “Hurry up, I never get to go on a run. I am ready to get out of here.” She looked like a giddy school girl, he loved that look.

Daryl shook the sleep off, “Where we goin’?” And who the hell had this brilliant plan, he didn’t like the thought of Carol taking runs, even with the two strongest in the group.

Rick heard Judith from below chanting “Da” and “Dar”, she knew he was back but her dad hadn’t let her up to see him. “Gonna siphon off the rest of that pump and she’s gonna sweep for stuff we missed” He walked out of the cell to the railing to try and calm Judith.

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

They were just at the turn off to the school when Daryl pulled his arm off of Carol’s shoulder, he was getting sore with her wedged between them in the truck. He put his hand on his leg but she took it into hers. They were all chatting and it went unacknowledged. 

Daryl was ready to jump out of the truck by the gate to kill Walkers but all he ended up needing to do was pop open the latch. Weeks now and no one else had come up on this place. They drove to the gas pump, filled the truck and then ran the holding tank dry nearly filling the transfer tank. Carol walked around, it was much nicer than the prison, she could almost see her group living in a place like this. Though it was clear that it was not nearly as secure as the prison.

Rick came up behind her and took her shoulder, “Let’s get in for the night, gonna lose the light.” The sun had just set. They grabbed the supply box out of the bed of the truck and headed into a building they had already secured, the first one they had used. But they took a different room this time, one that had been the RA’s, as it stated on the door. A double bed with an upper bunk, desk, armchair and dresser. Closet full of clothes that they had already sifted through. Daryl set up the oil lamp, filled it and lit it, the room glowed in yellow light. Rick sat at the desk chair and Carol on the bed. He unpacked the food and set it on the desk, he watched his friends both too quiet to make him comfortable. 

“Okay, what the fuck are you two up to?” Daryl was tired of trying to figure it all out. 

Carol wanted to answer but she wasn’t sure what to say. Thankfully Rick was there to take the lead. “Not up to nothin’. Just thought we could all use a night away.”

Daryl laughed, this boarding school was becoming their own private getaway. People were bound to get suspicious; people were going to figure it out. Daryl sat down on the bed near Carol leaning back against the headboard. “Whatever.” He closed his eyes and felt Carol moving toward him. She put her head in his lap and curled up to him. Daryl’s hand was in her hair instantly. They both looked to Rick.

“Give you two some privacy?” He didn’t want to but he would, if that’s what they needed. Carol had told him about the kiss, how it had been so wonderful but also a disaster. It had broken Rick’s heart to hear the hurt in her voice. When she had continued on to say that they couldn’t connect because Daryl likes Rick more than her, he knew they had to fix the problem. He and Daryl were just friends, friends that fucked on occasion, but just friends. He and Carol had a shot at a real relationship and he knew he had to get the hell out of the way. 

Daryl shook his head and waited for the cop to do something, anything. Daryl didn’t know where to go from here. Rick crossed the room and sat on the floor with his back to the bed leaning on the frame, just like he had the last time they were here. Daryl’s free hand slipped to Rick’s arm while he still played in Carol’s hair. She smiled, there was something about this that felt so right. Maybe it was simply the fact that these three people had connected in a world a of mayhem, if that was all, that was enough for her. 

Carol rubbed her cheek on Daryl’s thigh, she loved being this close to him, her warm breath across the flesh that shown through the hole in his pants. Daryl banged his head on the wall behind him. Carol looked concerned, Rick just laughed. 

“She’s making you hard?” He asked quietly as Daryl continued to bang his head. “Me too brother. Me too. She’s breathing on my neck.” Both the guys were laughing now and Carol flushed with embarrassment. She tried to move her head from his thigh but his hand held her there. She might have been giving him an erection but he didn’t seem to want her to stop. She exhaled heavy and he wacked his head one last time.

“You’re killing me woman.” It felt natural for once. The whole thing, from the cast of characters to the erection and through to the conversation. 

Carol licked at the bare patch of flesh showing through the rip in his pants. He seemed to have opened the door. “Don’t blame me, I tried to move off of you.” They were all in hysterics. Being away from the reality of the prison, the comfortable way they all had together. It was perfect. Carol shifted unrestrained this time, she moved up Daryl’s body and to his mouth with hers. She wasn’t sure if she was making a mistake or not but she threw caution to the wind. “Can we try this kiss again?” 

Daryl nodded and Rick moved to take his friends hand. Carol kissed him, with more force than the last time but equally as sweet. Daryl still wasn’t sure what to do. He returned the kiss and held tight to Rick’s hand. Their tongues found each other and she slid her fingers into his wispy dark hair as she brought her body close to his. He wrapped an arm around her then stopped kissing her. 

Carol could see his brain turning. This is where things went wrong last time. “Stop thinking Daryl. Whatever it is, just stop it.” Rick tried to release his hand to let him focus but Daryl held tighter. He cleared his mind and nodded at her, pulling her tight and went back to kissing her. Rick wished he could see, they sounded sexy but he was sure the sight was even better. He used his free hand to rub himself through his jeans. She straddled Daryl’s thighs as they kissed, her leg now touching Rick, he leaned his head back and rested on her as the make out session continued. When Daryl pulled at Rick’s hand that’s when it all changed. He was being invited to join and he couldn’t say no. He turned and knelt near them kissing. He was right, they did look amazingly sexy. He stroked his hand down Carol’s back.

Daryl turned and drew Rick in for a kiss. He hoped the man would never shave, he loved the feel of the beard. Carol was awe-struck and turned on beyond belief, she pushed her hips down grinding into Daryl and it made him moan into Rick’s mouth. Watching them go at it was intoxicating. Hands gripping, mashed together, forceful and strong. It had a quality of desperation that made her wet.

Daryl broke the kiss, “Ya’ll.” He wasn’t entirely sure if they liked each other in that way, but he needed to see it. Rick hesitated, kissing Daryl again before moving on to Carol. She was willing, sliding her hand to Daryl’s chest she looked at him then Rick and they kissed. Not with the same passion she had with the redneck but enjoyable, wet and steady. And he watched. Rick kissed her in ways he never could, gently and passionately. Daryl pushed his pelvis up into Carol. His brain was spinning again, he wanted to be inside her, deep, hard, the way he could be with Rick. But she wasn’t built that way. He had really only ever been with one women who could take the pounding. Carol wasn’t like that, she needed to be held more gently, like Rick was with her now. He had one hand cradling her neck the other on her hip. He slipped his tongue gently into her mouth letting her lead Daryl banged his head on the wall again and they stopped kissing.

“That had better be you turned on. Cause you don’t get to be pissed off. You asked for it.” Rick was serious, the kiss had been Daryl’s idea and he couldn’t get angry over them enjoying it. 

Daryl rapped his head one more time, “Not pissed. That’s just hot.” He was sure she could feel his erection straining in his pants against her. Watching them kiss showed him that Rick could give her what she wanted, someone who could screw her the way she needed to be. Not hard and rough on the verge of abusive. No, that’s all Daryl could offer her. Rick could be easy and gentle with her. 

Rick’s hand slid up Daryl’s thigh straight to his dick and started rubbing him rough through his jeans. Carol had brought here mouth to his neck and started kissing and licking, Daryl leaned back enjoying the sensations. He dug his fingers into Ricks’ arm tight enough to leave a bruise for sure and his other hand on Carol’s neck, not nearly as tight but she winced from the pain. 

“Fuck, can’t do this.” He tried to back away from them but they had him trapped on the bed like a caged animal and that irritated him as well. He let go of both of them, but neither of them stopped. Rick consumed Daryl’s mouth with his and Carol licked at him, the flat of her tongue tasting his flesh. “Jesus. Stop ‘lready.” He was serious, pushing Rick away, he needed them both to end this. They listened and pulled away from him. Daryl slid out from between them and started to pace. He needed space to breath, his own breath, not theirs. Rick sat on the bed next to Carol and they watched him pace, slowly calming. They had pushed him too far. Though it hadn’t been natural for either of them either, it had at least been easy. 

“Sorry.” Carol apologized for pushing him. 

Rick didn’t apologize, he wasn’t sorry. He watched his best friend stalk back and forth, biting at his fingers and ignoring his erection. He may not have been able to do this, but it gave him a raging hard on. “Come back to bed Daryl.” He expected a ‘fuck you’ so when Daryl simply crashed down into the arm chair Rick was surprised. 

“Thought you said there was no plan.” Daryl had felt set up. He had gone away for two days to clear his head and they had been hatching some plan for the three of them. 

Carol wanted to go to him but she knew better than to invade his space when he was like this. “There was no plan. Rick and I just agreed the three of us could use some time away.” Truth. She had told Rick about the disaster of a kiss and he suggested they all get the hell out of the prison for a while. That had been the extent of it.

Daryl had calmed down had gotten a hold of his breath again. He slumped hard into the armchair. “How bout I sit this out. You two do it.” 

They looked at each other than back to Daryl. Rick got up, crossed the room and bent to whisper in Daryl’s ear. One hand on his thigh, the other his neck and he whispered, “Ya want me to screw around with your girlfriend?” Daryl smirked, girlfriend? “She wants you man, not me.” Rick knelt next to him staying close to his ear. 

Daryl loved the feel of Rick’s face next to his, the breath on him. “Can’t give her what she needs Rick. That’s you.” Carol hadn’t gotten any since before Ed died, and probably hadn’t gotten anything good in a very long time. Rick could give her that and Daryl knew it. 

Carol watched catching a word or two but never making out the conversation fully.

“I’ll do this for you, but she has to agree. And you have to fucking watch.” That was Rick being selfish, he wanted to get laid and he wanted Daryl to see him with Carol if that was the case. He needed to make Daryl jerk off while he regretted not being in Rick’s place. He wanted to see Daryl submit while he made Carol moan. Rick was fucked up. Daryl nodded, kissed him then pushed him away. Rick stalked back across the room and climbed on the bed as Carol watched everything, took it all in. He crawled and straddled her, “He wants this Carol.” She nodded, sad that Daryl couldn’t do it himself but she understood his baggage. “Can I make you feel good? 

She was done with the drama of it all, she really just needed to cum, those two kissing, touching, it ignited her beyond fire. “I don’ know Rick. Can you?” It was the funny playfulness this moment needed. Rick kissed her using that as his answer. He kissed her till she moaned into his mouth. She had started at the buttons on his shirt, they began to undress each other like teenagers in the back seat of a car on date night. Kissing flesh as it was revealed, shared smiles and licks and the occasional glance to Daryl who looked content with his eyes half closed and his hand resting on his dick. 

Rick had pulled her shirt off and loved that she had no bra on, he found her nipple with his mouth and lavished it with his tongue, she tipped her head back an enjoyed the feeling, it had been so long since someone had done that so skillfully. He rolled the other nipple between his fingers and pulled gently, she squirmed and moaned. He did know how to make her feel good. Though he preferred women with bigger breasts he loved how sensitive she was to his touch. Lori hadn’t moaned like that from something this simple since they had dated. He kissed his way down her stomach, it fluttered and he felt it contract where his lips touched. He wrapped his hands on her hips and slowly worked her pants down as he moved her to the edge of the bed. He caught a whiff of her scent, she smelled amazing. He wanted to taste her. He tried to position her so that Daryl could see, but it didn’t work out. If Daryl wanted to see her pussy, he’d have to come over and look. 

Carol loved the way he had drawn her to the edge of the bed and spread her thighs wide, almost too wide, she felt the inner muscles straining. She ran her fingers though this soft hair and drew his face close to her. No one had gone down on her in almost twenty years, and even though she wished it were Daryl, this was perfect. Rick kissed her thigh, teasing her as his beard trailed over her skin. She was dripping, she could feel it oozing down the crack of her ass. He let his breath creep over her hot flesh and she was rocking toward him. He inhaled her one more time then swiped his tongue from the base of her opening to her clit, slow and deliberate. It felt like heaven and she moaned out, “Of fuck.” Rick smiled at his accomplishment then began to go down on her in earnest, fingers and tongue, kissing, biting, sucking, fingering her as she moaned and thrashed. She had made eye contact with Daryl and never broke it. Not even when he unbuttoned his pants and slid his hand inside. 

He stroked himself while he watched his friends, his woman and his lover, go at it. Her body flushed and Rick had taken off his shirt without taking his mouth off Carol. She was in ecstasy, trashing and moaning, random words, Ricks’ name and even once Daryl’s. Rick never slowed his pace as he was determined to make her cum. Actually hearing his best friends name come off Carol’s lips just turned Rick on even more. The last few months had certainly made things more interesting in his overall Vanilla sex life of the past twenty years.

Carol wrapped her legs around Rick’s back, she was close to coming. She held him close as he fingered deep inside her, she had no idea how many fingers he was using but it was bringing her to the edge of her first orgasm induced by another person in longer than she cared to remember. Daryl was holding himself more than stroking, gripping tight as he watched her face contort with pleasure. He could never do that for her. Rick seemed to be as good at going down on women as he was on men Daryl thought. 

“Oh god, gonna cum.” She had threaded her fingers into Rick’s hair and her other arm rested on his shoulder stretched out to Daryl, the one she was looking at, the one she was speaking to. “Gonna do it so hard for you.” She panted out the words as her orgasm consumed her body and shook her violently. She was contracting and gushing at the same time, and Rick drank it all down. He held her close to his mouth not caring that he couldn’t breathe. He thumbed at her clit till she was trying to pull away from him. Then he slowed his fingers and his licking. She tasted wonderful and he would have to ask Daryl for another taste someday. She finally broke eye contact with Daryl as she kissed Rick’s head then laid back against the wall. Rick rocked back on his heels and went to wipe Carol’s juices off his face with his sleeve. 

“Don’t you dare.” She said it playfully and it stopped him cold, then she motioned to Daryl who was sitting quietly behind him. Rick understood. He turned and crawled the few paces to Daryl, up his body and kissed him. The taste of Carol between them and Daryl licked Rick clean of her. She didn’t think she could me more turned on, she had been wrong. Those two kissing was becoming more and more natural, but that didn’t change the way it affected her body. 

Daryl whispered in Rick’s ear but Carol couldn’t hear it. She was getting tired of the whispering. Rick came back to her, crawled into bed and held her close. He realized that he had left her alone after that body racking orgasm, he held her tight. Kissing her and talking to her. “Hope that was good.” She nodded. “You want more?” She nodded. She felt greedy but she really did want more. She slid her hand down his stomach and into his pants, he unbuttoned them as she found his cock.

Somehow Carol had gotten from the bed to her knees, Rick’s cock in her hand as she slowly sucked on it. It had been some time since he had sucked a man at her own pace and she was going to enjoy this. He didn’t hold her head or buck up into her, he let her take it all at her own stride. She fondled him gently and though he would have liked it a little rougher, it was fun to watch her find her own way. She was naked on her knees positioned to give Daryl as much of a view as possible. She treated it like an audition, if she showed Daryl how good she could do it, maybe he’d want some. 

Carol melted when she felt Daryl come up behind her, she had been so focused on the cock in her mouth she didn’t know that he had gotten up. He knelt behind her, his clothed body against her naked one. Shadowing her he put his hand on hers as she shuttled up and down Rick’s dick and when he kissed her neck she moaned. 

Rick was good, but Daryl was the one she craved, and it seemed as if he might be finally willing to participate. She pressed back into him as they stroked Rick together. “Suck ‘em.” Daryl was in her ear, hot breath on her skin. She slid her mouth back over the tip. “Feel ‘em here.” He wrapped a hand around her throat, he wanted her to deep throat his best friend. She flinched when she felt his hand on her neck, but then it excited her. “Taste ‘em….. Drippin’ in your mouth.” She focused on the precum Daryl was talking about. “Take ‘em all for me?” She moaned an approval and Rick groaned at the vibration she had sent through him. She had almost forgotten he was there once Daryl had touched her. Daryl brushed her cheek. “That’s a good girl.” Where had this dirty mouth of Daryl come from? She nor Rick seemed to care, it was sexy. The way Rick was laid back he couldn’t reach either of them, he could watch the two of them this way all night. Daryl had no idea how sexy he was. Daryl helped jerk Rick while Carol sucked him off. She offered him a taste, she would love to see Daryl with a cock in his mouth, but he smiled and guided her mouth back to the tip. He had joined them because he wanted to be a part of the action, but he wasn’t sure he could do it physically. Hell, even his dirty talk came out harsher than it sounded in his head. ‘Suck him like a whore’ sounded so much sexier in his mind then it did when it came off his lips. But then she pushed to the point of gagging and Rick moaned in pleasure so he figured it wasn’t all bad. It had taken so much courage for him to join them though he didn’t know why he thought either of them would not welcome him.

Rick exploded and she didn’t let a drop of it spill from her lips. She had learned that over the years. She savored the first swallow then held the rest in her mouth as he bucked his hips spurting a half dozen more times. She could see them both holding hands as Rick was lost in his own world. The simple gesture of them touching warmed her heart, they had a relationship she would never fully understand. What she did next may have crossed a line, but Carol couldn’t help herself. She turned to Daryl and with a mouth half-full of cum she kissed him. Their lips opened she let the warm liquid flow into his mouth. She was staring at him as his eyes opened. She had gone too far. His eyes were wide, pupils blown open, he grabbed her neck and held her mouth to his as he let Rick’s cum pass between them. She hadn’t gone too far, Daryl welcomed this dirty kiss of hers.

Daryl and Carol kissed, tongue’s sharing space, arms wrapped around each other, her naked flesh to his clothed body, swallowing till the taste of Rick was finally gone. “Dirty little girl.” He smirked his approval.

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Daryl sat on the floor with Carol’s naked body straddling his lap, Rick dozed in and out of consciousness up on the bed. They were kissing and touching, she had peeled off his shirt and had tried for him pants but he stopped her. She was certain she was dripping on his cargo pants. She would throw caution to the wind and just speak her mind. “I want you Daryl.” She whispered against his lips. He closed his eyes and listened as she rubbed her breasts against his flesh. “Wanna feel you inside me.” She felt his body tense but she didn’t let up. “Wanna make you feel good.” He pulled her closer, wrapped his arms around her and just nodded his head. “Jesus, why won’t you let me do this?” She was pleading for answers as she rested her cheek on his shoulder.

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Rick was awake, he didn’t mean to be watching at them but he couldn’t help it, thenthe guys made eye contact. He was disappointing both of them now and that pissed him off. Carol was annoyed in his arms and Rick had a look of sympathy, Daryl didn’t know if he could take it. 

Carol licked at his neck, she was done pleading, she would simply see how far he was comfortable and work within that. She kissed at him, running her hands down his scared back and up into his too long hair that she was growing fond of. She licked and kissed and got to know his flesh in a way she never had. He fondled back and Rick watched as they got to know each other’s bodies, they were beautiful to watch even if he was a bit jealous of her. He watched Daryl’s face as she explored, sometimes he would close his eyes as if he work working his way past some horrible moment but then she should kiss or touch him in a way that would make him moan. He wondered if Daryl had done the same thing that first time in the showers. 

Daryl shut down his brain and just got into the moment, he skimmed his hands down her naked body from her neck, feeling her breasts, rolling her nipples till she moaned, then a bit too hard till she winced and he backed off. His brain said stop but he simply eased up, mumbled an apology then kissed both nipples to them to make them feel better. His hands worked down to her hips which were mindlessly rocking against his cock already. He held her tight and rocked her more, he liked her this way. He kissed her as his hands roamed, than he pushed her back a bit, opening her legs a little so he could see the part of her that was dripping all over him. Carol’s patch of unruly hair was wet and glistening, and as she opened up to him he caught a whiff of her scent. 

Rick saw the look in Daryl’s eyes go from mischievous to dark as he inhaled her scent. The animal side of Daryl was surfacing and though that turned Rick on, it also put him on alert. He shifted a little closer to them. Carol’s head fell back as Daryl dragged his fingers down her stomach, through her pubic hair and found her clit, engorged already, pulsing and begging to be touched. Daryl rubbed it easy with his middle finger then started to pinch it, gently as she moaned which seemed to make him do it harder. The pain shot through her and she winced, not making much noise but Rick could see the pain. He intervened, first with his hand on his friend’s shoulder, then on top of the hand he was using on Carol. Daryl stilled knowing he had fucked up. Carol was quiet, she had always been taught to be quiet through the pain Ed inflicted on her, this was no different. 

Rick shadowed Daryl’s hand, pushing him down past her clit to where she was wet and dripping. Daryl took back over sliding his fingers inside her, she was open and drenched and he felt no resistance at all. She watched Rick’s face, she knew exactly what was going on. Rick was keeping Daryl in check. Not that she thought he had gotten too harsh with her, this was nothing compared to what she had been used to. Daryl started to finger her and she loved it, this was something she had wait too long for. 

“More.” It escaped her lips in a moan, she wanted to feel filled up. 

Daryl looked at Rick. “Com’mer.” He motioned with his head and Rick got off the bed and joined them on the floor. Daryl slid a second finger inside her then turned to his best friend, kissing him as he fingered. “Do it.” Between kisses he had instructed Rick to get in on the action. Rick looked to Carol for approval but she seemed lost in the moment of enjoyment. 

He slid his fingers in and Carol moaned. Dirty words fell out of her mouth, “Oh, fuck you two. That is so good. Fuck yes.” They were surprised she swore that much, she was usually the one who kept the moral compass in order, she was spinning it out of control today. Daryl and Rick worked together, fingering her. The wet sound filled the room. Her scent was all around them. They were both half holding her as she flailed on Daryl’s lap. 

“You like that?” Daryl loved seeing her this way. He quickened the pace, he wanted to feel her cum on his hand. 

Rick slowly pulled out his fingers and Daryl filled the gap with his own. He fucked her deep as Rick brought his fingers to his friend’s mouth and made him lick them clean. She tasted as good as she smelled and it made him start to lose control, grabbing too tight with the hand that was holding her, slamming too hard with the one inside her. Rick pulled his fingers out of Daryl’s mouth, it was punishment for getting rough with Carol. Daryl figured it out and slowed again. She had been close to cumming and this had thrown that off, brought her back off the edge. 

“You need to be naked.” Rick growled in Daryl’s ear. Carol nodded. Daryl mumbled ‘fuck’ but he knew they were right, he was too involved now to turn back. Rick had a plan, Daryl might not completely like it, but he didn’t care. Rick picked up Carol without warning, Daryl’s fingers sliding out of her and she groaned. He stood her naked body up against his. “You want him?” She looked at Rick trying to figure out what he was thinking. Rick looked down as his half-dressed friend with the wet spot on his pants, she had saturated him with her cum and he’d never get the smell out of them. “I said get naked.” He didn’t wait for Daryl to react he turned back to the confused woman in his arms. “You want him right?” She nodded, she wanted Daryl more than air most of the time. 

Daryl had given up a little piece of his soul that first night a few rooms away. When he had gotten on his knees and sucked Rick deep, he had given something to Rick that had become precious to him and right here and now he was going to be able to repay his friend for that. Daryl pushed off his jeans and sat on the bed waiting for the leader to take charge and tell him what to do. It’s how their relationship worked the best. Rick kissed Carol on the forehead, “Com’mon.” Rick sat at the head of the bed and pulled Daryl toward him, then motioned for Carol to join them. 

She crawled on the bed and onto Daryl as he was pressed between them both, Rick holding him while she kissed her way up his chest. Rick whispered in his best friends ear, “Gonna help you do this.” She licked at his nipple even as his body tensed. 

“I don’t need help fuckin’.” He was annoyed but loving the feel on Carol against his body. 

Rick wapped an arm around his throat and pulled him tight. “Yeah you do, or you wouldn’t be fuckin’ me instead.” He bit at Daryl’s shoulder and sucked a harder than he should have. Finally he spoke loud enough for Carol to hear. “Gonna let this amazing woman do whatever she wants,” She smiled ear to ear. “And you’re just gonna take it.” She loved Rick’s plan. 

Carol kissed down his stomach straight to his cock. She had waited too long to have her way with it and she wasn’t going to miss out. She brought her face to his dripping dick and wiped it clean with her cheek, he moaned but he never moved. She wrapped her hand around the base and gripped tight, he watched her never looking away. She slid her mouth down never stopping till her nose was flat against his pelvis. That made him moan and toss his head back to onto Rick. “Feels good?” Daryl moaned a yes as she quickly sucked him into a constant pace. “She sucks good cock.” Rick was picking up his dirty talk from Daryl earlier. Daryl tried to reach out to run his fingers through her hair and push her deep, but Rick had him restrained. “Naw, gonna let her do it her way.” Daryl nodded at the reminder. She sucked deep showing no sign of a gag reflex in that position which just made him want to fuck her mouth. He bucked his hips into her and she pulled back, caught off guard. Rick bit his shoulder and he stopped. Rick knew he enjoyed the pain he was inflicted but it served more as a reminder and Daryl was obeying. 

“You taste so good she’s never gonna want to stop.” Carol was sucking him while she played with herself. She was still looking for that orgasm that she hadn’t gotten yet. They watched as she rubbed her clit. “She’s gonna wanna do you soon.” Daryl nodded. “She’s gonna climb on top and ride you till she’s happy.” She nodded, she liked that idea. 

Rick opened the condom and handed it to Carol, together they stroked it down the pulsing hot cock. She kissed him as she centered her body over his shaft and held it on place. She let her body sink down on him, she watched his face as he closed his eyes, not sure if he was trying to escape or if he was enjoying himself. He adjusted his hips and pulled her in to kiss him. Rick could tell he was happy, the way Daryl’s body melted into Rick’s told the entire story. They all paused a moment then Rick interrupted, “Do it Carol, ride him good.” She stretched to kiss Rick, thanking him then began to ride the cock she had craved for so long. She used his broad chest for leverage as she rode up and down grazing her G spot and having the best sex of her life. She was moaning and dripping and the whole thing was bringing that animal back to the surface.

Rick brought his arm to Daryl’s mouth and gagged him with it. Growling low in his ear, “You need to cause pain, you do it to me.” Rick didn’t understand why Daryl needed to inflict pain when he was turned on, but he wouldn’t allow him to do it to Carol. She was oblivious to the bite that Daryl was exacting on Rick, she had reached down and was playing with her clit as she fucked Daryl as if her life depended on it. There would be no more edging, she was at the brink of orgasm. Carol took her pleasure at her own pace and finally came with more force and intensity than she could imagine. Her body rocked and she broke out in a fine layer of sweat from head to toe. As she enjoyed the aftershocks, she felt him still rock into her.

“I want to see you cum Daryl.” Rick had taken his arm back, Daryl hadn’t broken the skin, but it had been painful. Daryl nodded. She rode him a while longer, enjoying the pace as well as the view and when he warned her he was about to cum she got off of him taking the condom with her. He stroked himself and they both watched as his white sticky fluid shot through the air and landed on his flesh. He flexed over and over till he was drained and he slumped into Rick’s hold. “Beautiful.” Rick thought it might piss Daryl off but he seemed to suppress the swears for panting. 

Carol couldn’t resist, she had taste him again, it had been too long. She licked a long streak of cum savoring the taste and holding it till she cleaned up more. Till she had a mouthful, then, and only then did she go to kiss him. He gladly kissed her knowing she would make him drink his own cum. Anything for the woman he in love with, that he had finally gotten to be with, even if it did take a little bit of help. She kissed him from slightly above letting the warm liquid flow into his mouth. He wrapped his fingers in her hair and held her there as their tongues mingled. She broke the kiss and nodded her head to Rick. 

Daryl turned and found Rick’s mouth and continued the passing of fluid. Rick thought he should be grossed out but it only seemed to fuel the erection he had been trying to ignore. They kissed as Daryl still held Carol with his fingers in her hair. 

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Things hadn’t changed much in the three days since she and Daryl had finally had sex. They still shared a sexless bed. Daryl still didn’t trust himself not to hurt her, he hadn’t fully gotten the scent of her sex off of himself and sometimes it made him want to grab her and fuck her hard. But he refrained, knowing he was saving it all for one good screw with Rick in the showers or the guard shack. Rick would be able to take the pounding. But till then, he worked on staying zen, holding her all night after they kissed passionately.

Rick was just coming in from a late night perimeter walk and Carol called him quietly into their cell as he approached. 

He leaned near the head of the bed, “What’s up?”

She felt bad that he was going to bed alone. “Just saying hello.” It had been a snap decision to call in him, she was cuddled up against Daryl, the one Rick still wanted to screw and hadn’t in over a week. 

“You guys get some sleep. We got a busy day tomorrow.” Rick started out of the cell. 

“Hey,” Daryl reached a hand out for him and Rick took it, he craved any touch of Daryl’s. Daryl pulled him toward the bed and Rick knelt next to it hoping Beth wasn’t going to come strolling by, she was the only one who might. 

Rick couldn’t resist, he kissed Daryl in the dark with Carol right there. Not hidden away at some boarding school or in the tombs. It all felt different in their cell. Daryl kissed him back. Hard, grinding, tongues fighting for dominance, Daryl’s grasped at his best friends hair and Rick tried not to moan as his cock stiffened. 

Carol smiled, yup, that would never get old. She could watch those two go at it any time. The kissing stopped but they stayed locked together, breathing each other in. “Hey,” They didn’t respond but she knew they were listening, “I think you need a shower.” Daryl turned to her. “Yeah, both of you. Right now.” He turned back to Rick who looked relieved. They both nodded. “And don’t come back too quick, that kiss is gonna make me need some alone time.”


	6. The more things change....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N... Another two-parter here folks. We are still learning what friends will do for each other. The second half will be up shortly. Enjoy all the smutty goodness.

Daryl walked into the cell, Carol she was asleep but she stirred when he sat on the edge of the bed and unlaced his boots. It was early and she had gone to bed right after dinner, fighting a headache that signaled a change in the weather was coming. It had been a while since she had gotten a headache like this, she didn’t want to even open her eyes. She reached out and rubbed her hand on his back to let him know she was awake. 

“How ya feelin’?” It had been strange not to have her hanging out after dinner. Daryl reached around, found her hand and held it. Even though they wouldn’t have really been together downstairs, he still missed her. She groaned in answer to the question. “Do anything for ya?” He hated to see her like this.

Carol knew that whatever he did wasn’t going to help. She needed a dark, quiet room and time. “Rub my neck for me?” Just because it wouldn’t help, didn’t mean it wouldn’t feel good. She loved any touch from him. He nodded his head, slipped out of his boots and sat next to her in bed, with his back to the support rails. He opened up his arms and let her get comfortable anyway she needed to. 

She moved her head into his lap with her cheek on his thigh close to his knees, he threaded his fingers through her grey hair, his beard was starting to match her. Then he gently began to rub at her neck, lightly at first then deeper as it felt like she was warming up. He could hear folks going to bed, people saying good night, springs squeaking as they slumped with body weight. Beth was signing softly in the next cell over, he had carried Judith to her crib and kissed her goodnight already. He thought he could hear the faint sound of people having sex, the openly affectionate Woodbury couple off in the distance. No matter how quiet they tried it be, it could be heard through the cells. That’s why he never thought about having sex anywhere but in the tombs. Daryl could feel her melting into his touch. 

Rick leaned in the doorway, Daryl had heard his boots coming up the stairs but wasn’t sure if he would stop in. Some nights he did, others he just sailed by. Tonight he had pulled the sheet back and stepped in. Daryl looked up and Rick gave a nod of his head questioning how she was doing, Daryl shrugged his shoulders. There silent communication was becoming more and more in tuned. Rick walked over and knelt next to the bed and kissed her hair. “Hi sweetheart.” He had taken to calling her that on occasion since she had gotten shot a while back. She appreciated the gentle way he had with her, it made her smile. Daryl continued to rub her neck gently as they as they all sat quietly for a few minutes. 

“Takin’ Carl hunting tomorrow.” Daryl was reminding them both, they had talked about it a few days ago. The kid hadn’t been outside the fence in weeks, he was getting a little stir crazy and Daryl didn’t mind putting up with him in the woods, the kid knew how to be quiet for hours if needed. Rick nodded, he didn’t love the idea of it all, but he trusted Daryl with both his kids.

Rick started to get up, he was exhausted. “I know, he’s excited to go with you.” He kissed Carol’s head one more time then stood up. He was surprised when Daryl took his hand and pulled at him. Rick was confused then realized that Daryl wanted to be kissed. He leaned down and kissed his lips. Simple, closed mouth kiss. “Don’t keep Carl out too long.” 

“Leaving early, back before supper.” Daryl went back to work on Carol’s neck. 

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Daryl drove the truck up a winding road to his favorite hunting spot. The one with the shack in the woods, but they wouldn’t be going that far this time. He figured they would stay close to the stream, the season was shifting and he felt it gave them a shot at the best small animal catch. They had been working on bow and arrow shooting for a few weeks, Carl was getting fast and accurate. The walked into the woods and found a rock to perch on. They hadn’t said much the whole way.

Carl readied his bow and arrows, took a practice shot into a rotting tree stump, grabbed the arrow and came back to sit. Daryl offered him some deer jerky that he had packed. Carl felt so grown up again, out hunting with Daryl. It was a big deal to be invited. They had grown a bond over the years together, he looked at Daryl like a second father, always listening to what he had to say and obeying. But he was also like a friend sometimes. In recent, when people weren’t looking Daryl would be the first one to throw food across the dining room, then blame it on Judith. Always aiming for Carl and Carl always being told not to throw food back at his sister.

“So, you and the blond girl?” Daryl licked his fingers. “She’s cute.” She was one of the girls from Woodbury, Carl had been inching his way closer to her at lunch during the week and last night he saw them sitting together after dinner as Beth was singing. 

Carl blushed, he didn’t think Daryl paid attention to those things. “Yeah, she is.” He really liked her, even though she was a little immature for him. He had grown up faster than her.

“Didja kiss’er yet?” Daryl looked out into the woods, all their talking would keep bigger animals away by the smaller stuff they were after wouldn’t be affected. 

Carl chewed long on the jerky, “No.” He hadn’t figured out how to get her alone to kiss her. But he really wanted to. He didn’t want to talk about her though, had to move the conversation on to something else. “Did you kiss Carol?” He had no idea what it meant now that Daryl had moved into her cell. 

Daryl was surprised the little chit asked, no one else had. “Yup.” There wasn’t any reason to lie. “So when you gonna kiss’er?” He’d volley the question back to Carl. Carl turned a few shades of red and decided that kissing wasn’t a good topic.

“I kinda feel bad sometimes.” His voice was low, he was trying to see what Daryl was scanning for in the woods. Carl had no idea what his eyes were tracking. Daryl didn’t reply, just nodded his head for the kid to continue. “You got Carol. Maggie and Glenn. That couple from over there.” He was talking about Woodbury couple. “Dad doesn’t have anyone now.” Daryl stopped scanning for a moment and then went back to doing it. “I thought maybe him and Michonne, I mean… She never knew my mom. But she doesn’t stay around much.” Carl turned and looked at Daryl. “Just feel bad that he’s alone.”

Daryl didn’t know how to reply. He checked the strings on his crossbow to stall, “You’re dad’s got friends. Sometimes that’s better than having a girl.” That just about summed it all up in Daryl’s mind. Things may have been getting more involved between them lately, but at the heart of it all, it was just about their friendship, being there for each other. A good fuck on occasion seemed to keep them both from going stir crazy. But it was nice the kid cared about his dad.

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The guys had returned with a raccoon, two possum and one fat plump squirrel. Carl had gotten the raccoon with his bow and arrow, it had lumbered slowly enough. He was quite proud of himself and the blond girl noticed as well as they passed off their prizes to Glenn and Maggie. Daryl took the bow from Carl then knocked him in the arm and motioned toward the pretty blond. Then he turned for the stairs, he’d check on Carol before supper. She had not looked any better as he had left this morning; this headache was really kicking her ass.

“She’s not up there.” Maggie spoke before he hit the stairs. “She down in the tombs, said she needed the dark.” Daryl didn’t like it, that wasn’t safe at all. “She brought a gun with her.” Maggie shouted after him. 

Daryl murmured a thanks as he turned for the tombs. Damn, he hated her down here alone. He would move the showers and the laundry room from down there if he could. He had a good guess which room she was in, it had a lock from the inside and no windows. Glenn had moved a mattress down there over the past months and just about everyone had used it once or twice as their own private getaway. He got to the door and turned the handle, the room was glowing yellow from the oil lamp and he opened it slowly and saw that she wasn’t alone. Rick was sitting on the mattress and Carol was resting in his arms, her back to his chest and his arms around her. They were laughing and she smiled when he walked into the room. Rick on the other hand stifled his laugh and suddenly looked guilty. Daryl closed the door and flicked the thumb lock. 

“Feelin’ better?” He was on the verge of jealousy but he was too busy being relieved that she wasn’t down here alone. When he got to the mattress he fell to his knees and crawled up both sets of their intertwined legs up to their bodies and waited for her to reply. She nodded and reached her arms around him. They kissed, in Rick’s arms, Daryl and Carol kissed. Soft and gentle as he was trying to be cautious of her headache. She wrapped herself tightly around him and kissed him like she hadn’t seen him in a week.

Why did this never feel weird to Rick? He leaned his head back against the wall and let them have their time together. They kissed and connected in the safety of his arms, and though it did not include him, he enjoyed being there as it was going on. 

“Glad yer feelin’ better.” He kissed her forehead then moved to settle his tongue in the hollow of Rick’s neck and licked, straight up to the side of his face. Rick should have been annoyed how gratuitous the lick was, but since it made him hard, and he couldn’t argue with that.

They all lay there, using Rick as their base. She played with Daryl’s hair as he rested his cheek on Rick’s thigh and they talked about the hunt, how she was feeling, the shifting weather that hand driven them back out of the woods and about Carl’s concern for Rick’s happiness.

“What did you tell him?” Rick really had no idea what a wild card answer Daryl might have given his son.

Daryl bit his thigh through his pants, hard, the way Rick liked to be bitten. Rick grasped a handful of Daryl’s hair and tightened enjoying the bite but finally pulling him off before he broke the skin. Daryl finally answered the question. “I told him that you liked the way I fucked you and not to worry about it.” Daryl braced himself for the smack from Rick but he wasn’t expecting one he got from Carol at the same time. “Jesus, joking. I told ‘im you were okay. Nothin’ to worry ‘bout.” He liked making them laugh. “He did think you were gonna hook up with Michonne though.” Daryl went back to resting on the spot he just bitten. He absolutely left a mark with that one, but he did it because he loved to hear Rick groan in pleasure, which he had.

“She does have a great ass.” Carol spoke and both the guys turned their heads to look at her. “I’ve seen you both looking. Don’t act like you don’t.”

Rick kissed her neck. “Yeah, we do. Didn’t think you did.” They stayed down there a little while longer till it was pushing supper time and they finally made their way up to the commotion that was the dining room. Carol ate for the first time in two days, her head was finally feeling better as the rain poured down. This was the shift in the weather her body had been waiting for. 

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The three walked up to the upper deck and Daryl pushed back the curtain to their cell, “Be right back.” She smiled at Rick and they walked on, looking into to Beth’s cell, she and Judith were sleeping. Then on to Rick’s, they closed the curtain behind them. They stood close enough to kiss but they didn’t, they just talked in whispered knowing the cells echoed fiercely. 

“Thanks for takin’ care of her today.” He did appreciate the fact that Rick had stepped in while he was gone to be there for her, but this was more about how Daryl loved being this close to Rick. He was finding it hard some days to not be this close to his bed friend, he loved the heat of Rick’s body, the feel of skin when they brushed by each other.

Rick closed his eyes, if he didn’t he might have made a move on his best friend. “That’s what I’m here for.” Their contact in the tombs today had been great, but not enough for Rick.

Daryl didn’t like his way of thinking. Rick was a leader, not a babysitter. And Daryl wasn’t trying to push Rick into a specific roll in this evolving, unusual relationship. “Just sayin’. Thanks.”

Rick opened his eyes, drew Daryl’s face into his hands and spoke in a hushed tone. “I know she’s yours. Not trying to get in on that.” He liked Carol, hell loved the way she sucked him and hoped to get inside her one day. But she belonged to Daryl and that was fact. “Just didn’t like her down there alone, not safe down there.” 

Daryl nodded, he understood. He kissed Rick. He couldn’t resist any more and Rick kissed him back. That rough, fierce kissing they did that felt like animal hunger mixed with greedy lust. Rick wanted to slam him against the cell door, strip him and fuck him, but that would make too much noise. They kissed and grabbed and vied for dominance. Till finally Daryl stopped, he had to or he would have taken him right here and now. “Not gonna tell her what to do. She had enough of someone doing that to her. It’s between you two.” He didn’t let go of Rick.

“Daryl, I’m not gonna get in the way of your thing with her.” Rick wanted to pace and have this discussion, but they couldn’t talk louder than a whisper.

Daryl kissed him, more passionately this time. “She doesn’t tell me and you what to do. And sure as shit not gonna tell ya’ll what to do.” He groaned into Rick’s mouth when he felt his friend’s hand slide down the front of his pants and rub him through the thinning material.

Rick laughed thinking back to the night they got home from the boarding school. “Not true man. She does tell us to go have sex sometimes. And I’m guessing she gonna wanna see it. Soon.” Somehow that thought seemed to turn them both on as they reached in unison grabbing for each other like some sit-com moment but full of feral passion. They kissed and groped and Rick pulled at Daryl’s shirt wishing he could undress him. The hunters eyes locked on the pulsing vain in Rick’s neck and it took all his strength to push him away before he bit and tear at the flesh he wanted so badly. Daryl exhaled and left the cell.

Carol was already in bed reading the crappy western that Daryl had just finished, it wasn’t her thing but they were almost out of books to pass around. She tried to push away the images of what she thought they might be doing. Damn she loved the idea of them together. Strong and masculine in this way that was sexy and it just ignited her imagination. She had seen Rick on his knees, sucking his best friend deep, swallowing all of him. Her sex with Daryl had been enhanced as she watched Rick holding him tight, keeping his feral nature in check. Hell even the lick earlier today had gone straight to her pussy as she loved being sandwiched between those two as they shared a moment. She really didn’t mind not being included, she just wished she could always be a fly on the wall watching. 

Daryl pushed open the curtain and pulled off his shirt and with his boots still on he climbed on the bed, on Carol and pulled the book out of her hands. She hadn’t really been reading it anyways. He brought his nose to her neck and inhaled, smelling her, finding her scent just made his cock rage more. She loved that he did that. She was learning that he was very primal in that way, always smelling before diving in. She braced herself, holding her breath as she waited, never trying to anticipate his next move. With his eyes closed he crashed his mouth onto hers and forced his tongue inside. She welcomed him. Carol slipped her arms around him and kissed him back, he was never been like this in their own bed. Daryl was one for discretion. “Want you.” He growled in her ear. 

Images of a wild Daryl ravaging her flashed through her head, her screaming out in pleasure too good to contain and Rick running into keep Daryl from hurting her. Then half the prison would flock in to see the three of them in bed, Carol thrashing in pleasure as Rick restrained an uninhibited Daryl. Though it had its appeal, she knew it was not wise to let that happen. She held his face, looked into his darkening eyes. “The tombs.” He nodded and kissed her, pulling her up off the bed to drag her down two flights of stairs. She moved with him but had to stop before they got to the door way, she was not dressed to leave the cell, she needed pants and shoes. She pulled away from him and he paced grabbing his shirt and putting it back on. Paced as she pulled on her pants and started on her boots.

The quiet night air was shattered by the sound of a gunshot. Out in the courtyard a shot rang out and sounded through the prison. He closed his eyes, processed the sound and it shook Daryl from his lust and flipped him into battle mode, he grabbed his crossbow and handed Carol her gun. He and Rick met in front of Beth’s cell where she was holding the baby in one arm and a pistol in her other hand. Rick pushed the cell door shut closing them in.

Down the stairs, through the hall and out to courtyard they all moved like well-oiled machines. Folks converged on the courtyard and the Woodbury folks in the tower were pointing to the breach in the fence, a section that had been pushed through at the bottom and Walkers were pushing under. Flesh ripping on the chain link as they pushed into the open area between the fence lines. The courtyard was not in danger, just the free-zone between the fences. Guns were put away and knives were brought out. Daryl aimed his cross bow and popped the walker that was pulling through the bent fence. This plugged the hole and allowed for Glenn and Maggie to polish off the few who had made it through. Carl and Rick opened the main gate as Michonne and Daryl swept through to finish off the job. 

It was only after all the Walkers had been dropped that anyone had even paid attention to the fact that it was pouring rain out. They were all a muddly mess, but they had been able to mend the fence line, and got everyone back inside. Rick explained, again, to the ones on watch the things that constituted the right reasons to use precious bullets, Walkers stuck between the fences was not one of them. Carl and Glenn agreed to finish the watch shift as the Woodbury folks were too shaken up.

The showers were full, six people trying to get a little warmer and a lot less muddy. Daryl watched as Rick lathered up, he tried not to but it was a losing battle. Good thing no one was paying attention. 

The woman had showered before the men did and Carol was back in bed when Daryl came through. He had patted Rick on the back as he went into rock with Judith for a while. No oil lamp this time, the book was on the table. He sat on the edge of the bed and she sat up with him. It was almost impossible to see in the cell tonight, the rain had darkened the sky. She kissed at his shoulder on the edge of one of his scars, she couldn’t see it but she felt it at her lips. “Well, that kinda screwed up a good thing.” She had really been hoping to get laid tonight. 

He laid her back and joined her under the covers. His brain was calmer this time, he had taken out his sexual aggressions on the scull on a walker, but only Michonne seemed to notice. Carol snuggled against him and he whispered in her ear. “Better that we didn’t, maybe.” Daryl had been out of control when he had come into the cell the first time tonight. A feeling that had been slowly creeping to the surface more and more in recent. His heart had pounded and his skin was on fire, and his brain had shut down to anything beyond the most basic primal functions. Daryl loved feeling that way. It brought him back to somewhere long ago when no one noticed who he was, no one had any expectations for him. For years the feeling scared him, for a while it consumed him, now it was simply something he worked to keep in check. He pushed it all aside and held Carol. This false-alarm of an emergency made him grateful he wasn’t that same person who constantly needed to feel out of control. But damn did he love the feeling. He kissed her forehead.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

Carol and Rick worked in the munitions corner together, guns and ammo spread out on the table as Rick cleaned a pistol and Carol counted bullets and stored them next to the appropriate weapon. Daryl and Glenn were out on a run, searches were taking them further and further away from their prison home. Judith was playing in her play pen with a bunny Daryl had brought her and an empty plastic mayonnaise jar filled with marbles. She shook it like a rattle while she sucked on the ear of the bunny. 

“Think they’ll be back tonight?” Carol boxed up all the .22 shells in a large and labeled the bin before she put them box back on the shelf. 

Rick could dismantle and reassemble just about any gun there was, but this one seemed to be giving him trouble. Felt like something was jamming it and he was struggling to take it apart. “Nah, tomorrow. If they’re not back yet, gonna stay out another night.” Rick forced the slide and gravel came flying out. He banged it on the table cleaning out what he could before blowing the smaller bits out of the way. 

Carol had always liked the cadence of Rick’s voice, but she especially enjoyed it when he talked low like he was now. Judith seemed to be making enough noise for everyone. She huffed at his prediction. They had already been gone for two nights, a few more would cause her to worry. Rick got up and walked to the cabinet to get another bottle of oil. She had moved on to the shotgun shells. He stopped at her side, kissed her shoulder and whispered in her ear. “He’s gonna be okay.” Rick rarely worried about Daryl’s survival skills and he knew she didn’t need to either.

She touched his face, “I know.” She went back to counting and Rick got distracted by his daughter. She was making those happy baby noises and he couldn’t resist picking her up. Bunny still in her mouth.

“You know, I brought her back a stuffed kitten the same time he brought her this bunny. She has never touched the cat.” It never bothered him that Judith liked Daryl more than anyone else, he had a way with this child that no one else did. It actually made Rick feel better to know that if anything ever happened to him, this child would grow up to be a road warrior under Daryl’s angle wing. 

They stopped working, sat on the floor and played with Judith and the bunny. A baby that belong to neither of them, playing on the cement floor of a prison. Strangely it was the most beautiful moment either of them had experienced in a while. 

“Gotta get to helping with dinner and you need to finish cleaning this up, we need the tables.” Carol got up and put Judith back in the play pen with her beloved bunny. He reached a hand to help Rick get up. He was feeling every bit of his forty years today. The hall was still silent, no one had come in yet. He wrapped his arms around her. Carol loved the feel of his body, she trailed her hands along the long length of muscles in his back. “This was nice.” She had enjoyed spending time with him and the baby and not dealing with the crap that lay outside the prison fences.

He held her closer enjoying her breasts pushed up against him. “You know, you get to lonely you can come sleep in my bed tonight.”

Daryl had told them both that they were free to do what they wanted while he was gone. He meant it, it only seemed fair to him. They both felt odd about it, but they knew it was an option for them that would not cause an issue.

Carol placed a quick kiss on Rick’s neck then laughed, “Don’t know if I’m that lonely yet.” She headed out of the room thinking about how nice it would feel to sleep in Rick’s arms.

At what point had things become so routine? Dinner followed by clean up, tucking the few kids into bed, the leaders having unofficial meetings, gathering in the main hall to play cards, read books, listen to someone sing then off to bed. It was almost eerie how normal it all had come to feel. Rick was always the last one of the hall. He checked on the guard tower, shut all the doors and would have turned off the lights if there had been any. Instead he blew out the oil lamps and finally dragged his tired body up the metal stairs. He stood at the top and scanned the view from Daryl’s old perch. Rick missed his house, all the hardwood, carpet, the wallpaper he had hated. Though he knew he was safe here, it was cold and hard. And he was sad that this was what Judith might remember as home. He walked quietly down the row of cells and stopped in to check on Carol. He knocked once and heard her murmur a ‘come in’. 

Rick closed the curtain behind him and walked to the bed. She was sitting with her back to the wall reading. She patted the space next to her as she put the book down. They sat together in silence as the listened to the prison settle in for the night. She rested her head on his shoulder. They were comfortable in the quiet together and she liked that. She hadn’t felt comfortable with a man in years, Ed had ruined that for her. And now she had these two men who made her feel comfortable, protected, wanted and so much more. She snuggled closer and he put an arm around her. 

“Think I can sneak some time for the three of us tomorrow.” Rick had been trying to work it out in his head to get the three of them together again. Since he had mentioned to Daryl that she was going to want to see them together, he couldn’t get the idea out of his head. “If he’s back.”

Carol had been thinking about it as well, she had gotten good and worked up before the walker mishap and couldn’t shake the animal look in Daryl’s eyes that she had seen. “No one’s gonna notice the three of us gone, again?”

Rick could hear Judith fussing and Beth quietly singing in the next cell over. “Don’t really care if they do.” He really didn’t. Nothing was normal or conventional anymore, why should this be anything different. 

Carol wished she could play coy and innocent but the mere mention of them all together made her ooze and dampen her panties. Even her nipples hardened at the thought. They were poking at her tank top. “Daryl doesn’t like being ambushed.”

Rick didn’t miss the quick hardening of her nipples. He reached his hand and pinched at it through her shirt. “No, he doesn’t. But he does like sex. Think he’ll be fine with it.” He pinched and pulled and she closed her eyes to enjoy it all. It felt weird without Daryl there, for both of them. She suppressed a moan into a deep exhale. Rick nuzzled closer to her ear. “Give ya an orgasm before ya go to sleep?” 

Now it really felt strange not having Daryl there with them. She wanted it, she wanted Rick to make her cum. Daryl would never deny her that even if it might have bothered him. Carol didn’t struggle long with her decision, she nodded her head. “I’ll try to be quiet.”

Rick slid his hand from her breast down into the boxers she was wearing, something she had stolen from Daryl. “Don’t care if you are.” 

Carol did care. People knew Daryl was not here, moaning from her cell would only attract attention to a relationship she didn’t fully understand. She was also acutely aware of the fact that there was a shortage of eligible men around and she was getting to be with two of them. She whimpered when he made contact with her clit and put her mouth on his shoulder. He slipped his fingers down lower sliding two inside of her, her legs spread open in chain reaction to his fingers. “You can bite me.” He whispered to her. 

“You know that’s an odd kink to have now a days.” She barely got the sentence out but it was something she had though since she saw the bite Daryl had left on him. She sank her mouth into his arm as he slowly pushed his fingers as deep as he could inside of her. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever get his dick in her, but she felt amazing on his fingers. 

He held her in his arms ignoring his dick raging in his pants. He loved the way she tried to stifle her enjoyment. He pushed in an out of her, she was so wet for him. He closed his eyes, she was right, being bit was an odd fetish but he couldn’t resist the feel of it. She grazed her teeth into his arm and it made him finger her faster, he used his thumb on her clit and added a finger inside of her. Daryl was lucky to be able to spend every night with such a responsive woman even if he didn’t take advantage of it. 

Carol was breathless, her words barely audible, “Don’t stop Rick, more.” She was close to cumming, it wasn’t going to take much tonight. 

“You liked it when Daryl told you, you were a good girl?” His voice was shallow but she heard every word. Her body reacted to it as well; she clenched on his fingers and bit harder into his arm. She didn’t reply, she didn’t need too. He kept talking. “You feel so good, so hot on my fingers.” Rick loved to talk dirty, he always had. He had tried it with Lori a few times, but she never got into it, always found it more funny than arousing. When he had seen Carol’s respond to Daryl a few weeks ago, he knew he wanted to go there with her. “Gonna cum in my arms? Feel me filling you up.” He slid out, twisted his wrist added a finger than pushed in again. She was panting, he mouth on his arm leaving a wet spot on his sleeve. “That’s right, come on Carol, take it all.” She nodded her head and looked at him, her eyes were begging. She was fucking into him now. With his hand now turned he was in a position to slide his thumb to her ass, he did it and the whimpering began again, he thought it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. She was nodding, approving of everything he was planning to do. 

Rick stopped pushing with his fingers and focused on using his thumb, he teased at her hole as she held her breath he slowly felt his way along her tight ring of muscles, she tried to relax but it wasn’t working. “You need to breathe Carol.” He used his ‘in control’ voice. She exhaled and her body slowly opened up to him, the breach made her gasp and that made Rick smile. “You okay?” He didn’t want to hurt her, he didn’t know what she could take. She nodded and went back to biting into his flesh. He started to work his entire hand now, “You like it don’t you?” She panted out a yes followed by a bite that encouraged him, “That’s right, such a good girl.” The angle was starting to hurt his wrist, but he wasn’t going to stop till she came in his arms. “Gettin’ close?” She nodded frantically. “Gonna cum all over me?” The nodding didn’t stop. “Let it all go, cum for me.” 

He growled out his plea and she obeyed. Her body clenched around her hand but not a sound came from her as she came with intensity he had never seen from her. She gushed on his fingers as she lifted off the mattress gnashing her teeth into his arm a final time. She was sweating and shaking and he held her as she slowly came down. He worked his fingers out of her and she whimpered again. He loved that noise from her. He slowly rocked her in his arms wondering if this would have happened if Daryl had been here. Rick wasn’t sure he would have started the dirty talk, wouldn’t have held her so intimately. He licked his fingers knowing he wouldn’t get her smell off him till the morning when he could go and scrub up in the kitchen. He didn’t mind at all. 

Carol let out her little smile and thanked him. She wondered if she had stayed quiet enough. She didn’t care much either now that she thought about it. The cells seemed silent now that her breathing had evened out. All except for Judith cooing next door. She knew Rick could hear it. “Why don’t you go to her. I’m good.” The thought of sleeping next to him crossed her mind but that really felt odd. She slept with Daryl 

Rick kissed her hair. “’kay, you know you can come sleep in my cell if you want.” He started off the bed and she went with him. 

She stood on her tip toes, wrapped her arms around him and kissed him goodnight. “I know, I’m good tonight. Thank you again.”  
   



	7. The More They Stay the Same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This installment continues, as our tri gets to spend a little time together at the prison, uninterrupted.

It was two more days before Daryl and Glenn came back but the haul was worth it. They have found a U-Haul truck filled with another survivors stash. It was apparent the guy had gotten into accident, the truck went off an embankment and it had taken work to recover the best of the load. Food, ammo, a few weapons, lamp oil, medical supplies, books and the best score, a small generator. Maggie had been worried because they had been gone so long, but Carol knew it was just par for the course where Daryl was concerned. 

It took a while to stash the score and Daryl was beat tired. He had stayed awake most of the past night keeping watch, they were not hold up in the safest location. He made it down for dinner but went to bed early. By the time Carol came up to join him he was sprawled out on the bed leaving her no room at all. It was nice to see him unwound for a change. She nudged him a bit and he moved in his sleep. She stole the smallest piece of the mattress by the edge and didn’t bother trying for the blanket. 

When he realized she was there he moved toward the wall, pulled her with him and draped the blanket over her. She snuggled to his chest. “Missed you.” It hadn’t taken long for her to get used to the feel of his body against her at night. She had never slept that close to Ed. Daryl murmured a positive response. She knew he was awake, she could tell by his breathing. “Me and Rick.” She didn’t feel right not telling him. “We screwed around.” She blurted it out, it had been looming over her for days now.

Daryl didn’t flinch, he didn’t move a muscle when she spoke. It didn’t’ surprise him but more importantly it didn’t upset him. “’kay.

“You’re okay with that?” She was glad that it hadn’t pissed him off. But on some level it also made her sad that he didn’t seem to care enough about her to be angry that she had been with someone else.

Daryl kissed the dip in her neck for a while. “Been with him without ya.” She nodded. “’sides, now I don’t worry so much when I’m gone.” His cock stirred in his pants, his body reacted to her more and more all the time now. All that sexual desire he used to keep in check seemed to have a mind of its own these days.

A moan suddenly echoed through the hall and they both stilled listening. Not the groan of a Walker, but rather the sound of love making. Neither of them spoke as the moaning got quieter but never went away. In a voyeuristic moment they just listened as the couple made the springs squeak, she moaned as softly as she could and he finally came groaning out ‘fuck’. Daryl had gotten a little harder listening to them, Carol a bit wet. 

“Speaking of which.” She turned to face him a little more. “Rick wants us to spend time tomorrow.” 

Daryl adjusted himself. “You two? Or am I invited?”

Carol sighed at the question. “All of us. We both want you, you know that.” She touched his face.

He didn’t understand why. He had never been with anyone who didn’t fuck him simply because they wanted something from him. A bed to sleep in, drugs, revenge on an ex or to make someone jealous. Rick and Carol never wanted anything from him except for him to be there with them, he didn’t get it. “Folks are gonna figure it out. Glenn asked what was goin’ on with us being out so much.” Glenn seemed to think that there was a plan to split up the group, maybe move out of the prison, something the three of them were hatching. Talking to Daryl about it was part of the reason Glenn wanted to go on this run. Daryl had told him that there was nothing to worry about, no sneaking behind his back. They were just hanging out more, not warming up to the Woodbury folks. Glenn wasn’t reassured but also didn’t push things.

“Rick doesn’t care if people find out.” 

Daryl smirked, typical Rick. “What ‘bout you?” 

Carol shook her head ‘no’. “I get to be with you both. I’m not gonna tell everyone that.” Though she hadn’t stolen either of them from anyone that she knew about, she knew it was greedy.

“I get it. You’re ashamed of us.” They both laughed and finally went to sleep.

Morning came quick and Daryl was gone when she woke. He had climbed over her without waking her. The cell block was busy, lots to get done in the mornings, water to be brought in, meals cooked, small injuries checked on as well as the winter crop to be tended to. She didn’t see Daryl or Rick in the main hall but that didn’t surprise her either. She stood next to Maggie as she started to help with breakfast. 

“Why so quiet?” Carol was almost concerned about the look on her face. 

Maggie started to blush again, “Cause I wasn’t last night.” Normally she and Glenn saved their love making for the tower but she had been too relieved to have him back in her bed.

Carol smiled. “It’s fine dear. We all appreciate the reminder of how import love is.” She was right, they all needed to remember that they needed each other for more than survival. Maggie blushed some more and went back to making breakfast.

Daryl and Rick walked the perimeter, along the fence line looking out to the Walkers. Occasionally they would stop and stare, Rick wondering where they all came from, how far they had walked just to stand at this fence. Daryl picked at the fraying string on the strap to his crossbow. “Heard you two…” He wasn’t going to bring it up but then he couldn’t help himself. 

They rounded the corner past the last tower to the dead end, at night this corner was pretty popular with lovers looking for privacy, but no one came out here in the morning. Daryl leaned on the wall with his knee bent and his eyes squinting from the morning sunlight. Someday he’d remember to score a pair of sunglasses. 

Rick leaned next to him looking out into the Georgia trees. “Did I overstep my bounds?” He didn’t know if Daryl was pissed or not. If he had gone too far, he would back out of things, no questions asked, this was their relationship he was interfering with. More importantly he wasn’t risking friendships over sex.

Daryl rapped his head on the brick wall a few times. He didn’t know exactly what they had done together, but whatever it was, it wasn’t overstepping. Daryl didn’t really know if there were boundaries in this whole thing. “So long as you’re both cool with it.”

“Did I go too far?” Rick hadn’t slept much the last two nights wondering if pleasuring Carol was going to be the thing that fucked up their already screwed up relationship. Daryl acted like he didn’t care, but Rick knew him better than that. He cared deeply for Carol, he always had.

Daryl banged his head again. He wanted to slam Rick against the brick and kiss him, it had been too long since they had been together and this private corner was stirring his imagination. “Kinda feels like we’re past ‘too far’.” Hell, ‘too far’ had gone out of Daryl’s brain the first time he gave Rick a blow job and decided that he would do anything to please that man. 

They had been round the corner too long, Rick pushed off the wall, resisted the urge to lay his body against Daryl’s instead just pulled at his hand to get Daryl moving. They walked back along the fence line with appropriate distance between them. When they got to the far end of tower two they paused to go their separate ways. Daryl spoke low. “I hear we have a date today?”

Rick smirked, she had mentioned it to him, and “I’ll come find you.”

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

Rick had doled out chores, checked on the field and helped repair some broken steps in the guard tower, all of this without thinking about anything besides skipping lunch and getting Daryl and Carol into cell block B. It was Walker free, reasonably clean and not used as they didn’t want to branch out that far. Rick caught up with Daryl when he was working on his motorcycle and let him know when and when to meet. Daryl’s eyes darkened when Rick smiled at him, he was feeling that out of control feeling building in him and he wasn’t sure he wanted to suppress it. 

When it was close to time, Daryl sought out Carol who was sitting in the sun working on some sowing for the kids clothes that were in need of repair. He didn’t say anything, she just packed her pile back into the laundry basket and he took it as they walked into C block, dropped it in the kitchen then walked with his hand on the small of her back as they made their way down the halls and to the door that connected them to B block. Rick opened the door for them and scanned behind them making sure they were alone before he locked them into B block. 

The click of the lock as the key turned brought a darkness to Daryl’s eyes that even Rick had never seen. They stood for a moment then Rick blinked and reached his hand out to Daryl who then took Carols’ and they followed Rick to the last cell in the room, he had pulled a mattress in and put it on the floor, he pulled them both close to him and started to kiss Daryl, he couldn’t explain his desire to feel Daryl against him but it burned in a way that nothing else ever did. There was no chatter, no need for small talk or setting the mood. They sexual tension between them was thick and ready to burst into flames. Carol felt Daryl’s hand grip hers tighter than was uncomfortable but she didn’t complain. As they kissed, Rick pulled her close to them; he wanted to feel them both pressed to him. He turned and kissed her as Daryl pulled away the collar of Rick’s shirt and buried his mouth on his friends shoulder and started to bite, Daryl loved the feel of flesh in his mouth and Rick got off on being bitten, it was a sick match. Rick tried to be gentle with Carol, he was enjoying the ying and yang of moving between these two. Daryl began to undress Carol but she pulled away and stopped him, stopped them both in their tracks. 

“No.” She stepped away. “You two.” She backed up to the bed attached to the wall and sat in the corner. She wanted to be the fly on the wall. They looked at her, at each other, Rick had been right, she wanted to see it all.

Daryl spoke and it silenced the room. “Dirty girl.” He said it with a grin it sounded more primal, though everyone agreed.

She nodded; it did make her feel dirty to want to see them in this way. Her vantage point from the corner of the room was perfect, she watched as their passion caught fire. Daryl started at the buttons of Rick’s worn shirt, fast and precise the way he was when he was hunting. He could have ripped the shirt open, but there was no need, his fingers never fumbled. He stripped it down his arms then dropped to his knees to begin work on Rick’s pants. Daryl was focused. His normally blue eyes seemed almost black as he unbuckled the belt and drew down the pants. Rick was still in his boots and in a move that was too quick to see, Daryl took Rick down to the mattress. If it hadn’t been so intense it would have been funny. Daryl stripped off the boots and pants and now leaned back taking in the site of Rick’s naked body, from his broad chest along his abs and down the bruise Daryl had left the other day on his thigh.

Rick waited in anticipation for Daryl’s next move and Carol watched as it unfolded. The redneck crawled, still fully dressed over his best friend dragging his clothed body along Rick’s naked flesh. Rick went to reach for him, but the feral look on Daryl’s face made him reconsider. Daryl began to lick and bite from his stomach to his neck, leaving bites and hickeys along the way, marking him like property. As he closed in on Rick’s ear he was sure he could hear a growl coming from Daryl’s chest. 

When Daryl’s mouth was close enough to kiss, Rick grabbed him by the back of the neck, a fist of hair and flesh, “You gonna fuck me?” Rick wasn’t sure what the plan was, who would do the fucking, but he didn’t think that the dark in Daryl’s eyes was leaving much room for any other option. Daryl grabbed at Rick’s side and began to flip him over. Rick knew better than to challenge him. Though he would have preferred to be face to face, he knew that was not going to be an option today. Half twisted Rick gritted in a low voice, “She’s gonna see it all.” Rick welcomed the audience, he liked being watched and he liked not having to hide this connection with his friend. The realization seemed to fuel Daryl more. He pushed Rick face down on the mattress and shifted his gaze to Carol looking more through her than at her. His vision was blurring with the lust that was raging. 

Carol just nodded not even realizing she was doing it. He went back to Rick’s flesh dragging his teeth from his shoulder down the long length of muscle stopping to bit and mark than moving further. There was no way Rick would be able to take his shirt off in public anytime soon. Daryl mouth found his friends ass and he started to lick, rimming him while Rick began to moan. Daryl wasn’t looking to pleasure he simply needed to slick his hole with as much spit as he could produce. Daryl was going to fuck him hard. Rick had no idea what was coming his way. The Hunter’s brain seemed to shut down from coherent thought, from the first taste of his salty skin this unique flavor that was simply Rick’s. Daryl had been spent years building defenses that kept his out of control nature from exploding but in turn had also caused him to keep his distance from people. Over the past months Rick had been breaking down those defenses, causing him to feel that sexual rage he had been suppressing. Throwing Carol into the mix didn’t help either, the fact that she wanted to watch them together, said she wanted to see it all. How could he keep fighting?

Rick felt Daryl pause, the licking and spitting stopped. He didn’t know why but he was afraid that this feeling might stop and he didn’t want that. He looked over his shoulder and saw his friend with his eyes closed, he was processing. 

“Stop thinking Daryl.” Carol saw the look as well, she had seen the same look when the Walker mishap prevented them from going to the tombs. It was the look he got when he was resetting his brain and regaining control. 

Rick reached back and found the hand that was next to his hip. He grabbed the wrist and held tight. “Don’t stop. I need this.” Rick didn’t want to be in charge, not in this cell, not out there. But he could only control what was happening in this room at this moment. “Fuck, I need this.” He didn’t say it to anyone in particular, but it was the words his friend needed to hear, he set his mouth back to the task of prepping Rick, he started to add fingers to the wetness, pushing past the ring of muscles, not waiting for Rick to adjust or get used to him. When he felt he had spread him enough he slid his fingers out leaving Rick empty and wincing, he got up on his knees and pulled off his shirt, unfastened his pants and let them fall down his hips to his knees. Daryl twisted his head from side to side and the cracking of his neck echoed in the cell sending chill across Carol’s skin. 

Daryl pressed down on Rick’s body feeling the rise and fall of him as he tried to breath. His cock nestled between his best friends ass cheeks and he spoke clearly and deliberately in his ear. “Your ass is mine.” Rick nodded, he not only understood but he wanted it that way. “I fuckin’ own ya.” The affirmation continued as he rubbed his shaft along the spit he had left behind. “Can’t hear ya.” 

Rick inhaled as his own dick raged against the rough mattress, he tried to rub himself against it but Daryl had him pinned too tight. “You own me.” He said it clearly as he wanted it that way. 

“Ya don’t fuck no one but me.” He growled out the command. The few women Daryl had ever had sex with never made him feel this way, possessive and controlling. Most of them had taken advantage of him in some way, used him for something and they were nothing more than a vessel to bang into. Rick was different, Rick needed him as much as he needed Rick. When Daryl had laid claim to his friend it was because this was his own personal piece of heaven that he wasn’t willing to share. 

Daryl moved off Rick back onto his knees and let his head fall back on his neck. He closed his eyes, spit into his hand then stroked himself. He was already hard but he wanted to get ready for it. He stroked with a firm grip from the base to the tip then back again, over and over. Rick never moved, just waited to be invaded. The sound of the wet stroking filled the quiet room. Daryl was finally ready, he tipped his head down and let a long warm mouthful of spit spill from his mouth onto Rick’s ass then he rubbed the head of his dark purple cock in the spit till he finally pushed firmly into his best friend. One long stroke pushed as Rick held his breath taking every last inch of Daryl till he felt the head graze his prostate. The cry that came from the lawman was one of release, not of orgasm or a sexual release but one that gave complete control of his body to Daryl. 

The sound made Daryl’s cock throb, he held there moving so slightly that you wouldn’t have noticed if it didn’t keep edging the tip against the most sensitive part of Rick’s body. It made him whimper and that made Daryl smile. Daryl leaned forward sliding his hand up Rick’s spine to the base of his hair where he wrapped his fingers in a handful of it and pulled. “Like that?” Rick groaned a Yes, “Ya ready to be fucked?” 

The cop begged. He knew exactly what he wanted and he begged for it. “Please, do it. Fuck me hard.” Rick had no control over any of this, he was purely at the mercy of Daryl and that was exactly what he needed. Never letting go of his hair Daryl began to slide his cock in and out of Rick. “More.” Rick was gluttonous and Daryl obliged, banging harder into him. Fucking and thrusting, scratching at Rick’s back, gripping tight, pushing hard and deep. The pace continued till Daryl’s legs started to get sore, he finally paused and adjusted to a different position that still allowed him all of the control. He pushed in again and Rick’s cock now rubbed harder on the mattress, he was going to cum without even touching himself. 

Daryl had shut his mind off from the urgency of it all, he was unhurried, he wanted to fuck this man for hours. He stroked over and over, breaking a sweat that eventually it dripped down his back and the crack of his ass. He loved the workout and every time Rick started to dry up Daryl would simply spit again so as to not restrain his own enjoyment. He held him by the hips for a while digging his fingers till he knew he had left a bruise. At one point Rick tried push back into Daryl but Daryl just smacked his ass and pushed him back down. “The fuck?” Daryl didn’t even finish the thought; Rick knew he had no place being anything more than the rednecks fuck toy. At this moment, it’s all Rick ever wanted to be. 

Somewhere in the middle of sex Rick rubbed himself on the mattress to the point of orgasm, not that Daryl cared or slowed for it. Rick simply groaned out as he spilled into a mess beneath himself. It was warm and wet and he enjoyed the feel of it as his partner continued to fuck him. Daryl had felt the orgasm, the spasms that ran through this body, the way his ass tightened and the pleasing noise that spilled from his throat that made Daryl proud of himself. It made Daryl work harder. Rick was panting and Daryl was smug, “You done? Want me to stop?” Daryl knew the answer didn’t matter, he wasn’t ready to cum and he wouldn’t stop. Daryl found Rick’s hand and held it, bonded together.

“No. Don’t stop, fuck me harder.” Rick loved it all and didn’t care that he was going to be sore for days, he’d be walking with a limp and his body was marked in ownership. Now that he had cum he could focus on Daryl, he started with his dirty talk, turned his head and just let every dirty thought flow, “feels so good…. ya fuck me good… do it like you own me…” Rick’s words had an impact on Daryl, he craved the praise he was receiving. “fucking love your cock… I’m yours….more, hurt me… cum all over me…” Daryl adored the image of his cum splattered on Rick’s skin, “show her how good you fuck…” Those words hit Daryl differently, he had forgotten she was there, he didn’t look over, he couldn’t. If he did he might stop and he was edging closer to coming. He pushed the thought of her out of his head this moment was about him and Rick. 

Rick continued with the dirty talk telling Daryl how much he liked abuse, how much he craved it, how it filled the need to be controlled that Rick had. But it was this simpl admission that was too much for Daryl, “I’m your’s.” Those two words pushed him over the edge, he had never owned anyone, no one had ever been his. He slammed deep and Rick whimpered, then he pulled out leaving him empty and finally began to cum, no need to stroke his stiff cock, it did it all, spilling out all over Rick’s marked skin, over and over till he was done and then he shook the last of it off the tip and onto his ass. 

Daryl smirked at his art, the cum streaked across Rick’s body, then he moved off of him, not easy with his pants and boots still on, but he laid on the concrete floor next to the mattress half dressed, cock shriveling as he rested an arm over his eyes and worked on regaining his breath. He didn’t cuddle.

Carol had seen it all and realized she could not unsee those things. All of the passion and fire that smoldered between them, the uncontrollable animal that Daryl could be and the submissive the Rick seemed to need to be. The way they moved together had turned her on, the words, the touches all of it had made her drench her panties. The entire time they fucked she never touched herself, she let her nipples ache and her pussy weep, but she was too occupied by what she was allowed to see that she never touched herself. She watched Rick on the mattress, he turned facing Daryl who was ignoring him. It looked as if touching Daryl might cause him anguish, he might get up and leave. Rick just watched him as Daryl was lost in his own world. 

Rick was different though, he needed contact. She slid off the bunk quietly and knelt next to Rick, she ran her fingers through his hair and he sighed. Though it felt intrusive, she began to lick Daryl’s semen off of Rick’s flesh, licking and swallowing down his spine even though it was getting cold. Down to the low of his back were most of it pooled and onto the drops on his ass. She licked him clean and he turned to face her. She smiled at him and he crooked a finger to bring her closer. She brought her mouth to his and they kissed enjoying the taste of Daryl between them sharing the half full mouthful of Daryl that was still in her mouth.

Daryl dozed off and Carol held Rick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not the end for these three, I promise.


	8. So what's next?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N – I knew I should have wrapped up this story before the new season started. But that said, we are still on the course I originally laid out as if S4 had never started. There have been some questions about where this story is going, is it Rickly? Caryl? Threesome? Well, I thought it was apparent as the tale unfolded that their relationships, all of them, are not that clearly defined. I don't think you can bring that much diversity to the bedroom and have it be simple. So, will there be more Rickyl? Caryl? Threesomes? YES.
> 
> Thank you to all of you who have supported, encouraged and reviewed this story. I reply to all my reviews but I can't if you do it as a guest, so don't be shy if you are looking for a dialogue with me. I thank my muse(s) for wrestling around in my brain, you all give me a clear cut vision of the dirty things you want to do, and it would be nice if you'd show me a path on how to get you there!
> 
> **Threesome Warning** This story will put these three together more graphically than ever before. Please enjoy this next installment.

Carol didn't know how Daryl did it. How he could so fiercely be with Rick in one moment than simply walk around like it never happened. After the pounding Rick had endured that afternoon Carol had laid with him as he held her in his naked arms with his face against her shoulder dozing in and out of consciousness for a while. Daryl was next to them, sleeping like the dead though she knew it would only last a few minutes, he never sleep hard for long, any sound would wake him, she and Rick cuddled quietly.

Rick had brought water and a towel in a back pack and he cleaned up himself up as Carol stood hugging Daryl. Neither of them spoke and the hug was clearly for Carol's benefit as Daryl seemed to merely be waiting to leave the cell block. Daryl lead the way to the door, Rick mostly trying not to limp while Carol carried his back pack and held his hand. He turned the key and had his hand on the knob as she walked up to him and kissed him quickly. Rick just nodded indicating that he was ready to go and Daryl was out the door mumbling something about going out to finish working on his bike. As if this round of sex had been an interruption of the work he had been doing.

Daryl was gone as Carol and Rick seemed to walk slowly down the corridor. As they came to last corner they finally stopped holding hands, they kissed and she paused a look to him and she seemed concerned where Rick wasn't. "He doesn't cuddle with me." He said it quietly with a smirk.

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Daryl had disappeared most of the day almost missing dinner. But his bike hadn't been in better condition in months. When he came into the dining hall his face was lighter, the dark edges in his eyes were gone, back to his clear blue color. He served himself some stew and then went to eat standing with Rick and Carol.

"Ya okay?" The question was directed at Rick, he knew the man would be standing to eat for a day or so even though people had asked him to sit and join them. Rick just nodded. Carol felt like she wanted to answer the question, even though it had not been for her. She didn't know if she was okay, not after everything she had seen. They didn't talk much till Rick brought their attention to Carl and the little blond girl. It broke the tension that seemed to be looming. They all watched nonchalantly as the girl laughed at his jokes and smiled at his obvious leadership at the table. "Has he kissed her yet?" Daryl asked with his mouth full. They had not kissed as of the hunting trip they had taken a few days ago.

Rick shook his head 'no' but Carol had a different answer. "He kissed her around that far corner yesterday." The one where Daryl and Rick had talked this morning. It was the perfect spot for a first kiss. Rick wasn't surprised that she knew more than they did. He looked at her questioningly for more details. "She said it was nice." That's all she had overheard two girls talking about as she was sewing this morning and the girls were hauling water. Rick smiled with pride, his son had a fleeting moment of normalcy.

The cell block was far from quiet yet, people talking in their cells, a small group still playing cards down below but Daryl and Carol were already in bed. He had positioned himself to hold her and she had nestled up to his chest. He had spent half of his bike repair time trying to figure out if he had screwed everything up with Carol, the other half he tried to not think about any of it. He waited for her to bring it up, she hadn't over dinner, while they sat at a table in the main hall playing cards together or even when they were up here reading newly acquired books together. But now in the darkness he did something he never normally did. He brought up the elephant in the room.

"Still talkin' to me?" It took three tries to get the words out of his mouth but once he did he braced for whatever she might launch at him. He knew he had been an asshole this afternoon, he wasn't stupid.

Carol was shocked as hell that he had brought it up at all. "Yeah, of course."

That made him feel better. "Ya haven't said much since…" He trailed his fingers down her arm to her elbow then back up over and over. He was glad it was dark, he didn't know if he could look at her.

"You haven't been around much since. 'sides I knew what I was getting into." That was a lie, she had no idea how feral he could be, how possessive and controlling. On some level had been like watching Ed except something was different with this one. Daryl didn't scare her the way Ed did. Daryl showed ownership of Rick out of some bond of loyalty, Ed needed to control. This was completely different. She could have also never predicted the submission she saw from Rick. The leader, who even through a breakdown commanded respect, had begged to give up control and Daryl did that for him. There was such give and take going on. "Maybe I didn't know what I was in for, but it was fine." Her brain was still processing all of it. Her body had reacted to it, making her ache most of the day till she came up here and masturbated quietly in the corner while Maggie thought she was just taking a nap before dinner.

"Rick said you wanted to see it." It almost sounded like he was blaming Rick for what had happened. Daryl had no idea what seeing those two together had meant to her.

Carol slid her hand up under his shirt and ran her fingers through his chest hair, different than Rick's but she loved every muscle he had in his chest. They were both so different to the touch, to the way they touched her. "I did want to see." She found his nipple and started to play with it, rolling it with her fingers giving a little pinch that made him smile.

"But ya think I was a dick when it was over?" He closed his eyes at the thought of it. That's all he thought about while working on his bike. How evident it was that he wanted out of the cell block as quick as possible.

She shook her head and chose her words carefully. "You weren't a dick, you were, well, just, you." Her pause hung in the air, he knew she had more to say and he waited. "I'm glad I was there for Rick, it felt like he needed it." She thought she might say more, but she left it at that. She wasn't mad at him, didn't want him doing things he didn't want to do.

Daryl kissed her hair, "Good you were there." She had stepped in at a moment that he didn't want to deal with. He had fucked too hard and said too much and when it was over he had been done. "But ya didn't get off." He hadn't paid much attention to her, but he definitely wouldn't have missed a woman masturbating three feet from him.

The statement brought her back to B block as her nipples hardened and her pussy began to drip again. She nodded a yes. No need to explain, he knew her well enough to know she had taken care of herself. Daryl was happy that she wasn't annoyed with him. He had stripped a bolt on his bike overworking it while he thought of every scenario that may have pissed her off from day. The fact that she understood, as she always did, made him feel better. Made him want to give back to her and please her. When it came down to it, that's what it was always about, pleasing one of them. Making sure Rick had what he needed, assuring that Carol was proud of what he did. No matter what, that never seemed to change.

He slid back out of his comfort zone again, though now a days slightly more comfortable, it was still awkward. He trailed his fingers on her jaw to her lips. He was fully in control of himself right now, at least he thought he was. Fully capable of pleasing her without being rough with her like he craved his sex to be. Today's time with Rick had satiated him from a while. Even now, as she shifted next to him and he could smell her sex, he was not losing control of himself. He tipped her head a bit, found her ear and started to nibble at it. Her flesh was nice but right now it didn't arouse him the way Rick's had earlier. He had less desire to bite and cause her pain. She held her breath as he caused her to flush from head to toe. "Wanna go down on you." He barely got the words out and it was hardly audible, but she heard him.

She nodded, the thought of Daryl between her legs was too much, she tried to speak but she couldn't. She kissed him instead. She love the feel of his mouth on hers, like coming home in some way and though they didn't do it very often, she loved it more than most anything else. "Yes," He had never gone down on her before. In light of their bizarre relationship, they hadn't done much together. "Please." Kissing they were comfortable with, a little over the clothing petting, that sexy intercourse that never would have happened if Rick hadn't pushed them to be together. She had sucked his cock that night, she had been in control of their sex that night.

He nodded and started to kiss down her body, over her clothes, moving fabric, finding skin, and working down her boxers. She smelled amazing. Rich and musky and he felt himself stir at her scent. She was now naked in their bed, naked and alone for the first time. Daryl wasn't sure if he could do it. It was so much easier for him to be with Rick, he knew his job in that relationship, to allow Rick to give up being in control for a while and simply submit to whatever Daryl did to him. With Carol it was different, she wanted some sort of give and take from him, something more emotional. So even now, though all he wanted to do was simply burry his face between her legs and swallow her taste till he was drunk on her flavor, he knew that it was more than that for her.

Daryl knelt next to the bed and pulled her to the edge, he had every intention of exploring her pussy to the fullest, he spread her legs wide, opening her up to him and he smiled, first to her pussy then he glanced up to her face, she was watching intently clutching her fingers into the pillow next to her, her look of anticipation was sexy but intimidating on some level, what if he didn't perform well enough. He let the thought go, her scent was filling his nostrils and he needed to taste her. He pushed her thighs wide, stretching the muscles in a delightful way and then he brought his face to her, smelling her, like heaven. Daryl hadn't had sex with many women in his life, no more than a few and he was not overly versed in oral sex, but there was nothing more raw and pleasing to him the natural state between a women's legs.

She was already wet for him, her skin coated for him to enjoy. His tongue full and flat he licked her from the base of her opening, along her slit, pushing his tongue in a bit then continuing on her clit. She inhaled and held her breath. It was better than any meal he had in longer than he could remember. Her hand went to his head, gripping his hair and pushing him deep into her. He licked and sucked and help her open wide, she was dripping for him and he licked her clean. He would admit, he didn't know much about a woman's clit, he didn't know exactly how to handle it, so he didn't spend as much time there as she would have liked, but his mouth was extraordinary. At one point as she fought to stifle her moans she pulled at his hair making him look up at her, she mouthed 'fingers' and he obliged. One then two sliding them easily in and out of her with one hand as the other wrapped around her thigh gripping into her, he was going to leave finger marks on her. Her taste and scent were pushing him to his animal side, he was beginning to feel that feeling of animal need. The one he though Rick had satisfied.

Carol moaned louder than she should have as she felt his fingers working in and out of her, she grabbed for the pillow and shoved the corner in her mouth. She fought the need to scream out in passion as he licked at her and then she felt his teeth, her puffy lower lips had enticed him to bite, she was lost in the feeling till she felt his fingers opening her up and his teeth gnash into her flesh, he was biting at her pussy, not hard but enough to bring her back down to earth. Her hands instinctively went to head, not pulling him away but pushing him deeper. She didn't mind the bite she just needed it to be deeper, shallow nips was causing her the wrong kind of pain.

His fingers stopped and he loosened his mouth, he realized what he had done, but he couldn't move away while she was pushing him too hard against her. Breathlessly, as quiet as she could, she directed him. "Don't stop, I'm gonna cum. Bite me again." He heard and listened, he sucked her back into his mouth and bit down, firm and more controlled and her pussy contracted around his fingers, he pushed deeper inside of her as her orgasm rocked her body, thrusting her hips to him, lifting her off the bed but his wrapped arm held her in place. She groaned out a moan that she couldn't control and he held her tight till she calmed. He had never pleased a women this way before. He had never pleased Carol this way before. It made him feel complete. He licked at her gently, cleaning her up and easing the spot he had bitten. She slowed her breath and played with his dark hair.

Two cells away Rick strained to listen, her moan was beautiful and he wished he had been there with them, but he stroked himself instead.

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A week or more had passed since Daryl and Rick had been together in cell block B, things were back to their old routine and Daryl and Michonne had gone hunting for the day having left well before sunrise. Carol found Rick in the munitions area again, it was turning into his favorite quiet hang out. She sat across from him, picked up a revolver and an oiled rag and started to clean it. They hadn't spent much time together this past week, there had been a lot going on in their little prison community and they had all been pulled in different directions, other than dinner together and the kiss goodnight they had both seemed to be insisting happen in one cell or the other, they didn't spend a lot of time together.

"How you been?" She was soft spoken and he smiled when she asked.

Rick paused, he had been focused on dismantling the Berretta in his hand, it had been a while since someone asked him how he was doing as opposed to asking him for something that they needed. He loved that about Carol, always thinking of others, of him. "'m good." He didn't know if that was exactly right but it would do.

Carol really didn't feel like cleaning guns, she really didn't feel like doing any chores today. It was a reasonably nice day out, folks were busy with their daily routines and she was just tired of constantly having to accomplish a long check list of duties. There were no weekends off anymore, no vacations for this crap. "Wanna take a walk?" She was looking for a little one on one time with him before Daryl got back from hunting. Rick hesitated but nodded as he started to reassemble the gun. They cleaned up the munitions corner and walked together, first, up stairs to where Judith was napping, Rick loved to watch her sleep. She was innocent in the world of fear. Carol leaned in the doorway and watched them together, mostly his face as he looked onto the little girl, she brought him peace.

Then they walked the fence line, stopping occasionally to kill a Walker who was too close to one of their escape routes. Cuts in the fence held together loosely in case they needed a quick exit. The closures were easy for the living to open but too complex for Walkers to figure out. When Daryl and Michonne got back they would have to go outside the fence and move the bodies, burn them. Rick stood too long at the fence, Carol wanted to keep moving, she was restless and she took him by the hand pulling him gently to walk. She held his hand and he gripped her back as they took the last turn to the dead end, the corner where Carl had kissed the blond girl. Rick wondered if they would find anyone here but it was quiet. He leaned on the wall in his spot, there one where the loose brick was that he would rock with his boot. She paced in front of him and they started to talk. About the weather, yes actually the weather. The concerns about the cold that was coming soon. Staying in the prison through the winter was ideal but they all needed to decide if it was the best idea. A wind whipped along the building and Carol pressed her body to Rick's, face to face. He hugged her and kept her warm.

She kissed his neck and he held her tighter. The way he hugged her made her smile, "You wanna go screw around?" She loved the feel of him, the smell. He turned her on as much as Daryl did.

Rick kissed her hair and ran his hands up and down her back to keep her warm. "Don't know if that's a good idea."

Carol looked up at him, she honestly wasn't expecting to get turned down.

He ran his fingers through her hair. "You Daryl's. And I think we need to all talk about boundaries before we go any further." Having heard them in their cell the other night got Rick thinking about where he stood in the relationship, how he fit in now that Daryl was comfortable enough to have sex with Carol without guidance.

She laughed, a muffled chuckle really, "I'm his? I think you have that wrong. I'm just the one he shares a bed with. It's you two that are together."

"How the hell do you figure that?" He pushed her back to see her face.

Carol kept as much of her body touching him as she could, it felt too good to stop. "Daryl seemed to lay it down the last time you two were together." His words had been exact and to the point, 'Ya don't fuck no one but me.' That statement had deliberate, not just dirty talk during sex. And when Rick declared "I'm yours." She knew that they were bonded in a way that went beyond friendship. But honestly she didn't think that applied to her, just to other men.

Rick kissed her temple, she was right Daryl had laid that claim on Rick and he had accepted it. "For a man who doesn't say much, he sure as shit says a lot." She kissed him, pressed her lips to his and waited for him to kiss her back, he did, slowly at first then harder as he grabbed her upper arms and held her close. They kissed in desperation and fever till groping seemed like the next logical step and then they stopped, not crossing that line.

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"Gonna go, gut out the rest of that U-Haul." Glenn had asked Daryl what was going on. The three of them were leaving the prison together again and he wanted to know what the hell was up.

"You guys scouting for a new place? Cause I think we should all be doing that if that's the case." Glenn was frustrated with the secrecy of it all.

Daryl closed up the back of the truck and headed for the cab. "Just let it go man, we'll be back in two days." If any of them really knew what these runs were about. He was actually a little surprised no one had figured it out yet. The looks exchanged by the three of them in the dining hall, the way they all or as couples spent time together. He thought one or two might have known but how could Glenn have not figured it out yet.

He drove round toward the gate, Rick and Carol got in as Carl opened and closed the gate for them. They all waved. Now that Daryl thought about it, he realized that Carl might have had it figured it, just by the way he looked at them all. Smartest person in the group sometimes that kid was.

They had been on the road for almost an hour of random chit-chat when it all began. "Is there a reason why I am the only person in the group who can make a fuckin' decision?" Rick was testy today, he had been over breakfast and during most of the coversation. Carol wasn't sure what he was talking about but Daryl just laughed. "Really, is it so fucking tough to say that a fence needs repair and we're gonna use the sections of chain link Glenn brought back to fix it. Jesus. This is not rocket science." Carol put her hand on his thigh in hopes to calm him. Rick cracked the window and the ranting continued. "And when was the last time someone dragged a map out to try and come up with a supply run besides me and you?" He was talking to Daryl that time. The smile on Daryl's face just widened. Carol was growing concerned and she went to open her mouth but Daryl shook his head 'no' as he grabbed her arm. "I am so fucking tired of listening to Darcy and Joe fuck every night. And if Carl gets that girl pregnant…" Daryl had been waiting for the rant about his son, he let go of Carol's arm then nodded for her to talk.

She realized that Daryl had seen him like this before and though her thought had been to try and console and help him work things out she simply patted his thigh, "It will all be fine." She looked straight at the windshield as Rick looked to the field passing on the side.

"Be fine once he gets his dick sucked." Daryl said it half under his breath. This was how he had gotten into this whole mess months ago. Rick was ranting and Daryl sucked him off to relax him. Guess it was that time again.

Daryl was right but it didn't make Rick any less annoyed. "A blow job isn't the answer to every problem." He talked right over Carol.

"Nope." Daryl was barely holding back his laughter now, "Jus this problem."

Carol broke out in laughter.

They all drive in silence for a while, these trips helped everyone clear their brains. Finally out of nowhere Carol snickered and spoke. "Does that only work when Daryl does it? Or can anyone suck your dick?" She asked to be funny but she also asked to see where the line had been drawn since Daryl had laid down ownership of Rick.

Daryl swerved a little at her remark, he never saw it coming but it was perfect. So Carol. He waited for Rick to reply as he refocused on the road. When Rick didn't answer Daryl had to ask, "So, she get to suck ya or what?"

They both looked at Daryl then to each other. Rick had taken Daryl's declaration seriously and Carol was trying to get a grasp on it as well. Rick looked past Carol to that face he was growing to love. That mess of dark hair and the patchy facial hair trying to hide those angular cheek bones. "You tell me."

Daryl couldn't miss the irritated tone Rick had, the ranting had not been enough, he really did need to get blown. It had been a while since they had seen any walkers, been a while since they had seen any signs of life. He drove a little further looking for a place to pull off. Daryl was making assumptions now, hoping he knew Carol as well as he thought he did. There was an awkward silence that he hadn't felt with them in a while. "That's up to Carol."

She nodded her head, never looking at either one of them.

Up ahead he could see a driveway, somewhere to get off the road incase another vehicle came by. Not that he cared about anyone seeing them, but passer-bys now meant the difference between life and death, looting and killing. He pulled off the road and backed the truck up to the garage door.

Rick chuckled, "Right here?"

Carol turned to Daryl and kissed him. She wanted to go down on Rick, to help relieve the stress that he had been carrying for a while now, and she wanted to thank Daryl for letting her into their relationship. He returned the kiss, pulling her close. He hadn't pulled over for her attention, but he appreciated it. "'sup to you." She kissed him again then turned to Rick.

He angled and rested into the door as Daryl shifted to give her more room. Carol wasn't passing up this opportunity. It has been a while since she had tasted Rick. She kissed him, tongue first as she ran her fingers through this hair, she liked kissing him. Rick maneuvered weapons from the floor to behind the seat and she sank half to the floor, still half on the bench seat. It was awkward but she fit, and she watched as Rick unbuckled his jeans and pulled himself out, stroking a bit as he watched her lick her bottom lip. He didn't even know if she realized she was doing it.

She slid her cheek up his thigh and finally to his cock, he was leaking from the tip and she started tongue first to taste him, she was learning her tongue skills from Daryl, he could tell. It didn't take long for her to sink her mouth down on him, he let his head fall back and smacked it on the glass. It hurt, but he hardly noticed with her mouth on him. Her skills were different than Daryl's. She used more hand and a softer mouth, lazing up and down as she enjoyed it. Daryl's technique was deeper with more sucking, a tighter grip on the base and balls, like he had a job to get done. Rick prayed he would never have to pick between the two.

Daryl watched as his two closest friends enjoyed each other, she was a sight, contorted to please him, her mouth so pretty filled with cock. He rested one hand in his lap adjusting himself slightly and the other along the back of the seat. He watched as she sucked him with great enthusiasm and saw the change in Rick as the tension released through his body. His hips sank deeper and his shoulders began to slump. He never opened his eyes, just enjoyed as he played with her hair and helped her find a rhythm. As he was getting close to orgasm he slid his arm onto the back of the seat and Rick and Daryl found each other, locking hands to forearms as she sucked him deep, begging for him to cum. The orgasm was fierce, lifting him off the bench seat and grabbing Daryl's arm in a death grip. She swallowed at first, drinking him down but keeping her mouth on him, when the smaller aftershocks erupted she held that cum in her mouth, denying herself the enjoyment of his taste.

Rick settled back into the seat dreading her warm mouth releasing him, but she finally did, slid off him slowly working not to leave a mess. She looked at Daryl, he was staring at her. He knew she had a mouthful and he wanted it. He crooked a finger at her summoning her to him and she obliged. It took a moment to get off the floor boards and into a position to give it to Daryl but she did it, this mouthful of cum belonged to him and she knew that. She wanted to give it to him. Carol knelt on the seat and hovered above him making him look up to her. She brought her mouth to his and waited from him to open and when he did, she slowly opened hers, letting Rick's cum flow between them. They shared this so beautifully. This time it was Daryl gripping at Rick and when he finally swallowed she kissed him. Thanking him.

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They finished rooting through the U-Hall pulling the things they wanted and leaving the rest in easier access for anyone else. The back of the truck was packed full and now it was a matter of finding a place to crash for the night. They had passed a motel not too far back, all the doors were open, the place had been clearly looted and it showed no signs of Walkers. That was the plan for the night. Carol snuggled close to Daryl as he sat in the passenger seat. Rick pulled into the lot of the U-shaped building and parked the truck into the corner. They all knew their jobs, check the rooms for Walkers and make the place safe. Carol picked the room for them to sleep in and pulled supplies in for the night. They pulled the ammo they had found in the U Hall and kept them in the room with them as well. She shook the dust out of the blankets as the guys finished sweeping the area.

Daryl was leaning on the truck smoking a stale cigarette he had found as Rick paced near him, relaxed now but ready for more. They weren't really talking, not on patrol, just hanging out, the weather was nice. It wouldn't last forever, not that Georgia winters were harsh, but when you didn't have heat, it sure did make a difference. Rick stopped in front of Daryl, brushed his body against his favorite redneck. Someone two years ago he would have eyed just waiting for him to commit a crime, not eyed thinking of how much he wanted to be deep inside him. Daryl dropped his cigarette hand down to his side and waited. Rick pressed his dick against Daryl's, then slipped him mouth onto that spot on his neck, where the tattooed X sat on his clavicle. Rick didn't know why he had it, but he always thought of it as Daryl marking his favorite place to be kissed. He laid a wet kiss there and Daryl moaned just slightly. Rick loved that sound.

It had to be talked about and this seemed as good a time as any, Rick kept kissing as he started. "You laid it down pretty clear last time."

Daryl was confused, "Wha?"

Rick sucked making a tiny hickey mark on Daryl's clavicle. "'m not allowed to fuck anyone but you." Daryl remembered saying it. "That include her?" Rick went back to kissing, letting Daryl think about the question.

The redneck leaned his head back against the truck and exposed more of his neck to Rick to kiss. He was back in that moment in Cell block B. Sliding into Rick as deep as he could, while he told him that he was owned, told Rick exactly what he needed to hear. That he didn't have to be in control during sex, that he could let someone else be in charge. But when he said that Rick couldn't have sex with anyone else, he meant that no other man could take him the way Daryl did. Daryl felt possessive over this part of Rick, he never wanted anyone to bring Rick pleasure the way he could. No one else understood Rick the way Daryl did, what he needed during sex. That's what he owned. "Course it doesn't count her."

Rick involuntarily pushed his cock against Daryl. "Just tryin to figure it all out." He kissed Daryl's mouth, "Make sure she knows that."

Daryl dragged off his cigarette again finishing it off and flicking the butt across the pavement. He pushed his pelvis into Rick's as he enjoy the feel of the cop kissing him. Sometimes nothing felt better then Rick's mouth. Daryl tried not to think about the fact that he was the center of this threesome. Or the fact that Carol was in that hotel room waiting for both of them. That she had asked his permission to blow Rick or that he had been so jealous of her doing it that he prayed she would share that mouth full of cum with him. He also tried not to think about the fact that she was the one thing that kept him calm these days, that knowing he got to hold her all night was frequently the only thing that kept him from not giving up in this world. That being inside of her wasn't the happiest place that he had ever been not matter how he struggled. Rick slowly began to suck on Daryl's neck again and it made him think about the fact that he had vowed to do anything for Rick, anything that lawman needed to be content. He loved to see Rick happy for those brief moments. But Daryl hated to admit it, there was more than Rick's happiness Daryl craved, it was Rick's approval. Rick's approval was like a drug to him. And Carol was the shot of whiskey he chased it down with, together they were a powerful combination.

Daryl slid his hand up Rick's back to his hair, up into it and cradled his neck till Rick looked at him. Daryl crushed his mouth down on his friends and kissed him, tongue and lips and passion boiling over. Rick submitted to him and his whole body responded.

Daryl was so, well, Daryl. "Com'on, let's go fuck."

Carol was dozed off on the bed as the guys came back in the room and secured the door. She had laid out food and water and was curled up on one side of the bed under a blanket, it was a little chilly in the room. She almost looked to peaceful to wake but Daryl didn't care, he wanted her, him. All of them together. He was getting to use to them as a trio in bed. For days now Daryl had a scene in his head that he couldn't shake, something he wondered if they could all make happen, but he didn't know how to propose it.

Rick picked at the food she had laid out. He thought about the scene around him, his wife long dead, his children surviving day to day like all of them now, living in a prison and fighting to survive most of the time. This room felt selfish, it felt like salvation. He was lost in his thoughts as he watched Daryl pull off his vest and his sleeveless shirt. He had gotten out of his boots and now stalked across the room in nothing but jeans that were hanging on his hips, he had unbuckled his belt and it jingled a bit. He looked like a predator stalking its prey and Carol was going to be on the receiving end of things. Rick thought he should be concerned, Daryl wasn't exactly a master at being gentle. He had bruises, bites and soreness that reminded him of that. But then again, Rick never honestly believed that she needed either one of them to be gentle with her.

Daryl crawled over her body and she stirred beneath him, letting him kiss her while she woke. She wanted him to wake her this way all the time. He kissed and licked and slowly worked the blanket off her body, she was only in her bra and he ran his nose along her flesh, smelling her. She loved that. He pulled the fabric of her bra down and found her nipple, he sucked at it, gently at first but quickly sucking harder and biting at her. Her head pushed into the pillow as he ground his dick into her pelvis and sucked at her flesh. She relished in the ecstasy of it as she drew her gaze across the room to Rick who was still eating and but leaning on the table watching them together. He smiled at her as she enjoyed herself.

Daryl kissed his way around her body, licking and nipping as he went till he finally sank between her legs. She was wet for him and he sucked that wetness through the fabric of her panties before he moved it aside and started to lick. Her back arched and pushed her into his mouth. Daryl grabbed her hips to steady her, harder than he should have. He didn't seen her wince, he only felt her gush more liquid to his mouth. Rick saw the look and debated intervening but her pained faced instantly smoothed to desire. Daryl started with his mouth and added fingers to the play. Rick had never seen him go down on anyone. He looked at home there. Pleasing her seemed to come naturally and made him happy. She trashed in his hold and moaned loudly as it didn't matter here in this hotel.

He was beautiful, from the way his hips broke above the top of his jeans, the long muscles of his back covered in scars and tattoos. Rick loved the perfect 'T' his shoulders made. His eyes trailed down to the gun show of arms he had, one wrapped around Carol's waist and his strong hands gripped into her hip. He noticed Daryl rubbing himself against that mattress, she had him worked up.

Rick began to strip, slowly, not really taking his eyes off the show. Carol nodded at him, she wanted him to join them. Rick stripped to naked and even at half-hard is cock was beginning to ooze for them. He licked at his fingers, swiped at the tip of his cock then crawled onto the bed, this time crawling over Daryl. He kissed up the redneck's back, starting at the first sign of butt crack then straight up his spine, it made Daryl's skin tingle. Rick laid on him and sucked at the perfect shoulders till Daryl slid out his fingers and offered Carol's flavor to Rick. Rick sucked Daryl's fingers licking like he was sucking a cock. She tasted wonderful but it was not what he was in the mood for. He wanted what Daryl was grinding into the mattress.

Rick took control, "Flip over. Let her sit on your face." He commanded into Daryl's ear and Daryl groaned back in response. Rick got off the bed and waited a moment for them to adjust but they weren't moving at a speed he wanted. He pulled Daryl by his ankles away from Carol's pussy and down the end of the bed, he took a swat at the denim covered ass, "I said flip over." Carol called him an asshole and Daryl snapped to a standing position in front of Rick, challenging him.

"The fuck?" He sounded angry but they all knew he wasn't. Rick grabbed him by the neck, licked Carol's juices from the side of his face then kissed him hard.

Carol watched in amusement as her fingers went instantly into her empty pussy. Daryl had been filling her with three fingers and had his teeth on her labia when Rick had pulled him away. She wanted to pout but she was once again too turned on by their display.

"Ya gonna lay down so I can suck you?" Rick pushed Daryl down onto the bed with his feet still on the floor. Daryl laid back flat and brought his attention to Carol. He knew Rick would simply take whatever he wanted, he didn't need to help. He crooked a finger summoning her. Carol straddled his face locking eyes with Rick as she slowly lowered her pussy to his mouth. He manhandled her till she was exactly where he wanted and he went back to feasting on her. Rick unbuttoned the jeans and pulled them lower, not off, he was in too much of a rush for that. Daryl was rock hard and oozing and Rick simply lowered his mouth from the tip to the base devouring him in one movement. Daryl groaned out into Carol's flesh and she caught herself for balance. What a trio they were, so much pleasure being given and taken. Long licks and warms throats, juices flowing and flesh on fire. Daryl tested her pain threshold biting at pussy as she seemed to enjoy. She could take a lot of pain, she never started to edge away till he thought he might have broken the skin. He was the only one of them that didn't get off on being bitten. Those two had more in common than they realized. Carol came once and tried to back away from Daryl but he was far from done, he wrapped his arms around her thighs and held her tight to him, he wanted to make her cum again.

Kneeling between his legs, Rick new exactly what his lover wanted, how he wanted to be consumed and what would make him cum. He sucked deep and hard pushing past his own gag reflex and into his throat. He cupped his balls and occasionally sucked on them but mostly he just held them tight and let his spit drool down Daryl's body beginning to soak the bedspread. Rick slipped a finger lower and into Daryl's ass. There was Daryl's moan of desire. So distinctly different from every other sound he made. It came from deep within him and it begged as much as it commanded. Rick and Carol looked at each other, it was almost comical.

They both backed off Daryl, it was time to change things up. He stripped naked as Carol moved to the head of the bed, moving a pillow and getting comfortable to watch as the guys. They kissed as they stroked each other and Rick started to work them to the bed. Crushed under Rick, Daryl stopped everything. He had a vision, a plan. And he was going to bring it all together tonight. He looked at Carol, "Whadda ya doin so far away?" She seemed surprised. "Com'mer." He didn't stop looking to she was moving toward them. Rick moved, straddled Daryl and let Carol join them. They kissed over Daryl then they both moved to include him in the kiss. The three of them lost in each other in a way they never had been before.

Daryl hated being the center of things, it wasn't where he belonged in things. He took Carol's face in his hand, "It's all of us." He kissed her. "Three. Together." She nodded. Then he moved her face to Ricks and watched them kiss. Not their first kiss, but their first with this new understanding. Daryl was pleased but now he just wanted to get laid. His primal instincts were being to surface.

"I want…" Daryl started to talk but then he stopped. He didn't know what to say, he had never orchestrated anything like this. "Fuck." He stopped trying to figure out what to do and he just made it happen. He laid Carol on the bed and kissed her, she still seemed confused about her roll in this. Rick was leaning next to them waiting to see where this was all going.

Daryl spread her legs open, and rubbed his cock along her slit. She nodded her head. Carol wanted to feel him barebacked inside of her, no condom. She hadn't had a period in ages. Weight loss, stress and age were all in play there.

Rick brought his mouth to Daryl's ear, if felt like the perfect time for dirty talk. "Gonna fuck her good? Slide in deep?" Daryl nodded as he slicked the tip along her clit, she inhaled as he did it. Rick's breath on his skin made him want to be inside her even more. "Do it, push it into her. Fuck her good." Now Carol was nodding. She wanted Daryl to follow Rick's instructions as well. "Go ahead she wants you. She wants you to be buried deep." They both nodded now as Daryl did it, slowly pushing his cock inside of her as he felt the warmth of her surround him and envelop his dick. Carol growled as he pushed as deep as he could and the sound was beautiful. It filled Daryl's ears the way her scent filled his nose, it made his desire soar. He pulled out then pushed deep again, holding her shoulders as Rick continued his dirty talk, "That's right, fuck her good."

Carol grasped him tight. "Harder Daryl." She sounded desperate. He pounded into her again. "Yes, god yes." He was unrestrained but in control. She met each thrust forcing the tip of his cock to hit hard inside her. She loved it.

"More?" He gritted his teeth as he asked? She nodded. This is what he wanted, this was how he was going to make his vision work. He turned to Rick who was still in his ear, the words had gotten more graphic and it simply served to stiffen Daryl's cock even more. He kissed Rick as he slammed into Carol. "Fuck me." He said, it almost begging.

Rick understood, hell he had been hoping for it. He smiled and moved. They both stopped fucking for a minuet while Rick get behind Daryl and began to lick at his ass. Spit dripped from his mouth as he prepped Daryl who seemed more than ready. Rick started with two fingers pushing them mercilessly into Daryl and in turn, pushing Daryl down into Carol. Rick could see the same vision Daryl had. He fingered him for another minute then stroked himself good and ready. He lined himself up, "Yeah?"

Carol was the one to reply. She could see the relieved look on Daryl's face, like Rick pushing into him would make everything okay. And she wanted it to, the chain reaction it would create. She said yes for all of them. Rick pushed in slow, he always did it slow the first time. There was a difference in the pain that he wanted to inflict, not one of carelessness. Once he was fully seat he drew out again then he began to pound. Pushing in and out in the tightest, best place his cock had ever been. He fucked Daryl hard and in turn made Daryl fuck Carol. As the stoking and fucking continued this weird moment of twister-like-hand holding occurred. Each holding and touching the other in their triad as the fucking changed from gratuitous sex to love making. Thought he power and the force of it never slowed, the intent had morphed into something special. They all made love, kissing and touching, feeling each other in ways they had never shared together. As Daryl crept to his orgasm his feral side pushed to surface, being this way with both of them was too much to contain, he turned his head and found Rick's bicep, shifting his animal tendencies to a bite he knew was wanted.

Carol watched as he bit into Rick's arm and his fucking slowed. She couldn't allow this, she needed him completely. She took Daryl by the chin, pulling him from Rick's flesh, "Harder, don't fucking stop. Bang me till it hurts." Her words ignited him, both the men. They began to pound as hard as they could, her legs wrapped around Daryl's hips up to Rick's back, she dug in her heels as they all fucked together, no restraining their passion. Daryl pulled out of her moments before he came, he knew he shouldn't come inside her. He pulled out his cock and slid in his fingers trying to finger-fuck her as he came stroking on her stomach. His orgasm was powerful and she relished in the feel of him spewing on her skin as she pushed her pussy deep onto his fingers. She came next as he rubbed at her clit. She screamed out in passion as string of obscenities that delighted Rick and brought him to orgasm. He came hard inside Daryl as Daryl fought the urge to collapse on Carol.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

No one had slept so soundly in months, wrapped together with Daryl in the middle they shared the king sized bed in harmony till the sun came out.

They drove back to the prison with only one stop along the way to fool around in the truck. Rick fingering Carol as Daryl held her while she jacked him off and Rick swallowed them both, never sharing a bit with either of them.

They unloaded the truck, found their way to the showers and had dinner with the ones they loved the most. It wasn't till bed time that Carol finally asked the question she had been thinking since sun rise. "Gonna sleep with us?" She hadn't asked Daryl if he was okay with it, and she knew that Rick didn't care if folks found out.

"Nah, not tonight." He walked them into the cell. Whispering low as the cell block was an echo chamber. "I think the sleeping arrangements are good. Always have been." He kissed Carol, long and deep as Daryl ran fingers through back of his own shaggy hair. He loved watching them kiss. "And I think the sex arrangements are even better." This time Rick kissed Daryl.

"So you want to sleep alone?" Carol thought last night had changed things for them all.

Rick pulled her close to both of them, "I think the sleeping part works just fine, we'll keep finding time for us, and I'll come find you if I need more some night." Carol nodded though she didn't know if she loved the arrangement.

Daryl looked down at his boots then too Rick, "And if we need you?"

Rick kissed him again. He didn't reply, there was nothing to say, they were bond together now. Would be for a long time come. They all said goodnight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading, encouraging and enjoying this strange and winding journey. All of your comments and kudos have meant the world to me.


	9. Demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N – Yes, I did say that this story was complete, that there was no more tale to tell. But the reality of it is, I love these three together and my Muse never seems to get them out of my head. So I have to add a chapter to their story. I hope you don’t mind. This is a short one, just one simple chapter that needed to be told.

Sleep had eluded Daryl for weeks now, he had taken more than his share of watch shifts in the tower, held Carol while she slept, shushed baby Judith with walks through the halls or watched Rick sleep more times than he could count. An hour here or a cat nap there had been really all he could do lately and he didn’t know why. He had taken Rick hunting with him these two days, not that Rick liked hunting or that Daryl really wanted the company, but his best friend had insisted on coming along because Daryl’s lack of sleep was effecting his day to day functioning and it made the Sherriff uncomfortable to think of his friend out in the woods alone.

They had driven quiet a distance before pulling off into the woods where they then walked a few hours in silence to the cabin Daryl had found months ago. They had killed three Walkers on their way to the rickety cabin, more than Daryl had seen in this area in a long time. He knew that their presence would have a direct effect on their hunting today, but they had come to far not to try and Daryl liked being away from the prison, especially with Rick. They dropped their packs and the empty cooler into the tiny cabin, closed the door and headed for the hunting area.

The climb up to the tree stand was easy, putting the two of them on it back to back had been more of a challenge. It was built for one, a generous one, but still just one person. They leaned against each other in silence and scanned the area. Daryl had taught Rick the basics of bow hunting and though Rick would have been more confident with a shot gun, he knew that bow hunting was going to be the way to go. The sat for hours as the sun came up and drifted across the sky. They had both dozed off at one point or another as the sun warmed them. But they were both alert when the herd of eastern cottontail rabbits found their way into their clearing. Rick got off the first shot, cleaning killing the first one he saw. Daryl waited, just a bit as they scattered till he found the fattest of them and he claimed his kill just as cleanly. 

The problem with bow hunting was that reloading took time, small kills were just that, small. But on the up side, they didn’t attract unwanted attention from the living or the dead. They climbed down and took their kill back to the small cabin.

“Wanna go back out?” Rick wasn’t sure if it was worth their time to sit in the tree stand or not again. He wasn’t very versed in hunting.

Daryl closed the cooler and used it as a seat. “Nah, kinda tired.” He was, the exhaustion was taking over. He had hoped that being out in the woods would help him sleep, he was glad his body was responding the way he wanted. “Think I’m gonna try and crash for a while.” Rick nodded and shook out the ratty blanket that was on the makeshift bed on the floor. He took off his coat, grabbed his book and sat down with his back against the wall.

With his arms open Rick smiled. “Lay with me, get some rest.” Daryl nodded and stripped down out of his coat and boots. Rick tried to make himself a comfortable pillow for Daryl as he curled on his side between the Sheriffs legs and rested his check on his thigh. Daryl had hoped that Rick would thread through his hair, but he never ask for it. It only took a minute for them to be comfortable and Rick slid his long fingers through Daryl’s messy locks. When they had met his hair had been shorter and more sun bleached. But living in a prison during the end of the world had gotten it darker and longer. Rick missed the lighter color but he loved this length. He didn’t let his mind wander to how much he liked pulling Daryl’s hair when he was positioned for a long satisfying blowjob. 

They were quiet and Rick just let his eyes wander the room, out the one window to the limited view of the woods. It didn’t take long for Daryl to fall asleep, even though he had tried to fight it a bit, his breathing evened out and the faint sound of a snore filled the room. This would have made Rick happy if he knew it wasn’t going to last long, Daryl hadn’t slept much lately and it was really beginning to worry Rick. Carol too for that matter, they had talked about it a few times in the past two weeks. She knew better than anyone how little sleep he was getting. Rick listened to the rhythmic breathing as his eyes settled on the words carved into the wall near them.

‘Matt still alive, still fighting’  
‘Me too – Daryl’

There were hash-marks next to Daryl’s name, he carved one every time he came out here. There were four now, today would make five. No hash-marks near Matt’s name. Rick assumed that Matt was no longer with the living, he wished he could think that Matt had just moved on to better hunting grounds, a safe place, a community with many people. But he was too realistic for that.

He played in Daryl’s hair with both hands now, gently. Not wanting to stop as the change in pace might wake his friend. Dozing off would have been easy but Rick wanted to keep watch. Daryl murmured in his sleep. Rick couldn’t understand him but he tried to listen. 

Daryl ran for the fence, he could see Carol off in the distance, gun slung over her shoulder as she walked quietly through a herd of walkers. None had noticed her, none but one, he was screaming her name, drawing walkers toward his voice as he gripped at the fence, first fumbling to unlatch the emergency carabineer that held the quick release in place then next trying to climb over, but his boots were not designed for fence climbing. He could only watch as the walker in dark pants and shirt gained on her and reached for her. Daryl cried out her name and as she turned to his voice she was face to face with the walker. ‘Run’ was all he could say as she reached her hand up and touched the face of the walker. It all blurred as she was bitten, first in the hand, then pulled in and bit at her neck. Daryl dropped to his knees and screamed as the walker feasted on the slim, pale flesh. He was too far away to help her. Then the walker turned to the crying voice inside the fence and Daryl woke in a fit. 

Rick held him, half leaned over to calm him, the dream had escalated quickly and then Daryl was awake, broken out in a sweat and ready to fight. Rick just spoke calmly, softly, “Shhh, I got ya.” He held loosely at Daryl’s shirt waiting for him to calm. Daryl always did, quick to acclimate to his surroundings. “’s’kay, I got ya, man. I go ya.” Rick felt him calm in his arms as he nodded his understanding. He stopped breathing for a few seconds then let it all go. He had to. This dream, or some variation of it had been haunting him for weeks now. “Wanna tell me ‘bout it?” Rick’s voice was barely a whisper but he already knew the answer. They had done this twice before in the past week, once in Rick’s cell when Daryl had climbed into his bed in the middle of the night then again when they had been in cell block A with Carol, the three of them wrapped together in post-coital bliss. Daryl just shook his head and rested his cheek back on Rick’s thigh.

They eventually sat eating the lunch Carol had packed for them, talking about Carl and his girlfriend. Rick was thrilled that Carl was actually experiencing something resembling normal in their fucked up world. They were taking it slow, both too young to really know what they were doing. More just holding hands and hanging out, but Carl had gotten his first feel of breast, he had told Daryl this the other day and Daryl was finally telling Rick about it. “Think he’s gonna be a breast man, seen him checking out Michonne a few times.”

Daryl chuckled as he carved the fifth hashtag next to his name. “Not like you. You are such an ass man.” It was true, Rick appreciated a good set of breasts but not as much as he liked to worship a beautiful ass. He was happy that Carol didn’t seem to mind when his hands, kisses and tongue found their way to her shapely backside. He also loved Daryl’s ass, but not so much for its shape and firmness but rather how it felt to be buried inside of it.

They walked back out into the woods, dusk brought out a different array of wild life and the found a boulder to sit on as they waited for something to cross their path. They sat close, thigh to thigh as they sat silently, the day was slipping by slowly but this was hunting, it couldn’t be rushed, it couldn’t be loud. It was all about waiting and focusing. It was boring as hell.

“Wanna fuck?” Daryl had been half hard all day and he knew Rick didn’t care about the hunting, he had only come up to keep Daryl company. And though the hunters instincts made him believe that if they waited long enough a kill would come their way, the reality of it was, being this close to Rick this long just made him want to fuck.

Rick exhaled a breath, “Yeah.” He sounded relieved. He turned and kissed Daryl, soft and almost sweetly. He kissed him out there on the boulder because he knew Daryl well enough to know that there would be no kissing when then got back in the shack. Whenever Daryl initiated sex it was hard and feral. If it got to the point of Daryl making the first move, it meant he was beyond turned on. Rick loved him this way. They kissed till Daryl was done kissing, he had groped at Rick’s cock through his pants, gripping at the length of it till Rick pulled away, “Com’mon, wanna fuck.” Rick lost most of his vocabulary when he and Daryl were like this.

As they reached back to the shack in the middle of the woods Daryl grabbed his lover and pushed his against the door. His mouth to Rick’s ear he graveled out some words, “Gotta do it hard.” He felt like he needed to warn his friend that he was going to top, it was going to be rough and that’s all he could do right now. Rick nodded, he didn’t mind, Daryl didn’t often take for himself, especially not during sex. He constantly restrained himself with Carol and frequently ended up on his knees sucking off Rick or bottoming so the Sherriff could be in charge. It had taken a while, but Rick had finally gotten to the point of letting his own selfishness subside so that Daryl could work through whatever is was he needed to during sex. They were all fucked up. Daryl needed to fuck hard sometimes to chase away his demons. Rick needed to be in control but often ‘topping from the bottom’ so as to trick himself into thinking he wasn’t in control. And Carol, she just needed to feel loved and needed, which was challenging when she was having sex with two men who had a hard time showing that type of intimacy and like to fuck each other as well as her. Over the past five months they had gotten pretty good at giving each other they needed, but sometimes they each had to be selfish, today was Daryl’s turn. 

Rick opened the door and started to strip as Daryl shut it behind them and barred it closed. He watched as the cop shed his clothes, dropping them in pile till he was completely naked. Daryl took off his boots but that was it. This wasn’t going to take long and he didn’t feel like getting naked. Rick had wished there was more furniture, hell any furniture. He liked it best when Daryl bent him over something and did him standing from behind, but that wasn’t going to be an option. Rick stood face to face, gripped a handful of dark, shaggy hair, kissed him once then got down on all fours and waited to be taken.

Daryl knelt behind him and began to spit, there would be little foreplay, as soon as Rick’s ass had been exposed Daryl was hard and ready to screw. He lubed up Rick as well as he could, sliding in a finger and adding more spit. Daryl had been too rough about a month ago and even through Rick didn’t complain, he knew he had fucked up. When Rick felt ready Daryl stroked more spit onto himself then rubbed the head of his dick against his friends’ ass. Daryl loved that feeling, the head slowly starting to push into that tight hole, Rick starting to pant as he tried to think about relaxing his body. Sliding in just a bit then being pushed back out. Daryl enjoyed the tease that came before the hard pounding. Rick body finally opened up, as if they hadn’t done this dozens of times these past months, and Daryl slid deep, pushing till there was nothing else to slide inside. He gave Rick a change to adjust then he let the feral side of himself take over. He slammed hard, digging his fingers into his friends flesh as he gritted his teeth. He hadn’t felt this good in a while, free and wild. He could never be like this with Carol and over the past few weeks they had been having more and more sex than ever before but he could never be this rough with her. 

Rick buried his face in the broken mattress and took the pounding Daryl inflicted. But as he had learned over the months, he didn’t mind being used this way, the bruised hips and sore ass that lasted for days made Rick happy. The fact that he had finally learned to put his own needs aside and let Daryl simply take from him made him happy. The fact that Daryl always seemed to stimulate his prostate and made Rick have an orgasm in the process also made him cool with the situation. Daryl fucked hard taking his own pleasure from Rick, getting close to orgasm then backing off a few times before he buried himself deed and came hard. He bit at Rick’s shoulder as he did it, he knew how much Rick liked being bitten. Finally he slid out using a rag to catch the cum and clean himself up before ruining the pants that were just by his knees. He leaned against the wall, dick still out and closed his eyes. He wouldn’t sleep, but he wouldn’t cuddle either. Not after this encounter, not without Carol around. Rick panted a while then cleaned himself up, going outside to finish up and take a leak. When he came back in, Daryl was dressed and laying down, wide awake but comfortable. 

Rick had fallen asleep touching Daryl only because the mattress was too small, not because Daryl wanted it.

There she stood in the doorway of the prison, so far away from him. He didn’t know how she had died but she was dead now. Like the rest of the walkers she was dead, even though she was standing there, starting to walk. He watched her little body tumble down the stairs into a heap. Rick ran to her, he was closer than Daryl was. He watched Rick try and pick her up, seemingly oblivious to that fact that is was no longer Carol laying at the bottom of those stairs. It happened fast, too fast for Daryl to react; walker-Carol had wrapped her arm around Rick and sank her teeth into him before the hunter could react. Daryl screamed out but it was too late. It was always too late. He tried to run, to save Rick, but his feet were slow and by the time he reached them both, Rick had turned too.

Rick woke to Daryl’s nightmare that had him tossing and talking in his sleep, he didn’t know how long either one of them had been out, but once again he was wrapped around his friend, shushing the nightmare and telling him everything would be alright. 

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

They rolled through the prison gates with their morning kill loaded in the back of the truck, Daryl had let Rick sleep during the hunt and the kill, but he woke him to help with the hauling. Though the doe was small, normally not something he would have shot at as it needed more time to grow, food was a bigger priority. They loaded the truck, closed up the shack and Daryl mumbled on his way out the door, “Keep fightin Matt, keep fightin.” Those carved letters may be the only bit of Matt left in the world, and for some reason, Daryl wanted to keep his memory alive. Though they had never met, there was something about knowing there was a chance out there, Daryl hoped against hope that whoever Matt was, he was fighting the good fight, just like he was every day. 

“Ya okay?” Daryl had been rough on Rick last night and he looked sore climbing into the cab of the truck. He nodded and leaned across the bench seat to kiss the concerned redneck. They kissed for a while, longer than they normally did.

Carl was at the gate with Michonne as the guys came through. They all felt better when the group was inside the fences. The team from Woodbury who seemed to like cleaning and prepping the kill were waiting by the slaughter room. It had been a while since they had seen this much fresh meat and they were going to make the best of it. The guys left them to their work as they parted ways. Rick wanted to check in on his gardens and talk with Carl. Daryl on the other hand had seen Carol standing at the top of the stairs waiting for him. She and Rick waved as Daryl walked, crossbow over his shoulder toward her. His dream from yesterday came flooding back. Her dead skin, blank eyes and a thirst for human flesh. He shook the memory away and took the stairs two at a time. When he got to the landing he hugged her and in a very unusual display of affection he kissed her, on the lips. 

“Everything alright?” Carol knew that she should be happy that he was being affectionate, but it meant something more. She hugged him close not caring if people saw. Most folks knew they were together, though most had no clue that Rick was involved as well. 

Daryl let go and took her hand, walking her back inside the prison walls. “Yeah. Just glad to be back. Glad you’re okay.” 

She nodded. She had a hunch that his lack of sleep, dramatic nightmares and now this kiss were all tied together. She didn’t know what he was dreaming about, but it was enough to make him not want to sleep. And since he had no reason to think that she would be in danger while he was gone, she pieced it all together pretty quick. “Still havin’ bad dreams.” He nodded. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” He always came home a little dirtier. They grabbed a gallon of wash water and headed up to their cell. 

When they got inside and closed the sheet in the doorway, Daryl turned and kissed her again. Putting down the water jug and starting to undress her, his mouth covered hers, her skin, licking and kissing as he pulled up her top and started at her cargo pants. Her body responded immediately, her nipples hardening and moisture forming between her legs. But her brain knew something was off. “Hey, slow down there killer.” He didn’t slow down, his hands roamed her flesh finding her nipples, he knew how much she enjoyed them being played with. She didn’t see him this way often, but there was usually a reason for it. A fight with Rick, loss of a loved one, something that made him aggressive to connect with her. “Don’t tell me you didn’t get enough last night.” She had seen Rick’s subtle limp, she had a good idea of how their night had gone. 

“Want you.” He looked through her when he said it. He did want her, he was hard for her. He had been since he had seen her on the stairs and he knew for sure his dream was just that, a dream. She had been alive and well at the top of those stairs this time and he wanted to hold her, kiss her and make love to her. Not that he was good at executing that emotion. By the time they had reached their cell his desire to make sweet love had turned to lust and he simply wanted. He finally looked at her, “Let me?” He had little use for vocabulary most days, today was no different. She watched his eyes, he wasn’t out of control or feral, just lust-filled and she was fine with that. Carol replied by helping him undress her then started at his clothes. He always wore those damn boots that took unlacing but she did it. She knelt in front of him and unlaced his boots then started at his pants. 

He was rock hard for her and she slipped his dick into her mouth, she loved sucking him, the way his body reacted, the moan that escaped his lips. To do this in their cell in the middle of the day was unusual to say the least, but she welcomed it. Even now, months since they had been together it wasn’t uncommon for them to stick to oral sex. He was good at it. It’s what she had expected out of today, she figured he just needed to cum so she planted herself against the bed and sucked him deep. His fingers laced in her hair, he tried not to force her mouth but she never minded when he did and somehow it just happened. She knew it was hard for him to stay in control and her eyes lit up, she loved making him happy. Carol sucked him deep and let the little bit of drool slide down from her mouth.

Daryl tipped his head back, she felt amazing. Warm and alive. Every time he had dreamt of her lately she was dead. He was always too late to save her. To save Rick too. It broke him every time. But now she was alive and he wanted to be with her. He stopped her from sucking and she looked up at him, a mouth full of dick with a confused look on her face. “Want you.” He stepped back pulling out of her mouth and he knelt in front of her. Eye to eye he spoke, “I want you Carol, right now.”

They kissed and melted into each other and worked their way onto the bed. It didn’t matter that it was the middle of the day and that she wasn’t always quiet when they were together. Daryl knew that there was a likely chance of someone walking by their cell, of someone looking for them at this time of day. He needed her now, like he needed Rick last night. Not in the same way but with the same passion and need. They both filled a different part of Daryl’s heart. She straddled on top of him and eased herself down on his shaft. He filled her in a most satisfying way and she moaned out, just once, then gained control over herself. She rode him steady and he let his hands roam her body, he loved the slight curve of her hips and always loved to grab her ass. Though he was not the ass man Rick was, he loved hers. She trailed her fingers along his chest across his tattoos and scars. This was as close as they ever came to making love. They kissed and fondled and when he finally came it was him that groaned out, not caring who heard them.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

It was late, dinner had been done hours ago, socializing and bed times had come and gone. Carol was waiting for Daryl to come to bed, he had gotten caught up talking with Glenn about nothing in particular. She was dozing off when he finally came to bed. He tried to be quiet but she always knew when he was around and it woke her completely. “You say goodnight to Rick?” Even though the three of them had been together for months, Rick still insisted on sleeping in his own cell three doors away. Daryl nodded. He always made a point of saying goodnight, usually because he liked the kiss Rick had for him. For the most part, no one at the prison had figured out the three of them were a triad. No one but Glenn. When the light finally came on over his head about them he didn’t say anything for a while, but he finally let it slip to Carol that he knew. She was sure he had told Maggie by now, but no one else had ever pieced it together. If Daryl hadn’t been Rick’s number two for so long, it might have been more obvious. 

She pulled back the blanket on their make shift double bed and he crawled in next to her. She snuggled in close, and he wrapped his arm around her pulling her cheek to his chest. 

Carol was really starting to worry about him, “You gonna try and sleep tonight.” He nodded. “Daryl, you really need to sleep.” This insomnia was really beginning to effect his during the day. “Maybe Hershel has some pills stashed, something to get you to relax.” 

Daryl kissed her hair, “Don’t need no pill, I got you.” It was sweet of him and she smiled. 

Carol didn’t speak, she let go of him and got out of bed. When he asked where she was going she just ignored him. He would be pissed if she came back with a pill. Daryl didn’t do drugs, it’s wasn’t his thing, that had been his brothers way. Daryl didn’t need a pill. Hell, Daryl didn’t want to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes to long the dreams came and they always brought the same thing. Death to the two people he loved the most. A fucking pill would just make him sleep longer, make the dreams last longer and make their deaths more powerful. Right now he could usually shake himself from sleep but a damn pill would keep him knocked out. Where the hell had she gone, down to ask the old man for something to knock him out. Jesus, why couldn’t she just be happy with him holding her while she slept. 

Rick came through the curtain first, Carol right behind him. He had his boots in one hand and pants in the other. She had taken him out of his bed. Daryl was pissed. He hated being ambushed and this sure did feel like one. If she thought Rick would be able to get him to take a pill she was dead wrong. Rick set his boots by the end of the bed and his pants on top of that. Carol climbed back in, over Daryl and against the wall. She pulled at his t-shirt, drawing him closer to her giving Rick room to join them in bed. 

Daryl watched as Rick laid down, the three adjusted so that they were all reasonably comfortable. “The fuck?” Daryl didn’t understand, this wasn’t their arrangement.

Rick opened himself up to Daryl and his friend relaxed into him. “Just tonight.” Rick kissed Daryl’s hair. “You need to sleep and we’re gonna be here so you don’t have to worry about the nightmares.” Carol moved half onto Daryl’s chest and he wrapped an arm around her. There they all lay wrapped together, protecting Daryl, supporting each other. Rick had seen the nightmares first hand but Carol was right, if they were both with Daryl when he slept, his brain would figure it out, figure out he was safe. At least that’s what they hoped would happen.

Daryl didn’t speak, he couldn’t. He hated being the one that needed taking care of. He wouldn’t sleep, he’d wait till they were both out cold and he would rest his eyes, but he wouldn’t sleep. Rick and Carol synced up their breathing to Daryl’s and they all slowed to a rhythm without even realizing it. Rick stroked Daryl’s hair and Carol held his hand. If it had been another time with different people, hell even just one person, this would have made Daryl feel like a caged animal. His eyes got heavy, he fought to stay awake but he was losing the battle. Maybe they were right, maybe his brain would feel protected and he would be consumed by nightmares this time. He dozed off.

The sun was high in the sky, noon as far as Daryl was concerned. They were all working on daily chores which today included reinforcing a section of fence that was weakening to the walkers. Daryl was out there with Glenn and Maggie as they dug a hole to add a post. He wiped the sweat off his brow and looked out to the field of walkers. So many of them had been there for a long time, he was almost used to seeing their faces. But some were new. Daryl dropped his shovel and watched as two new walkers staggered from the back of the pack. 

Daryl woke himself before he let it all sink in, another dream where he had lost them both. Rick held him tight as Carol shushed him. “It’s okay, we’re right here.” They didn’t ask about the dream they just held him till he lost his battle to stay awake. 

He sat at the table, the last one to eat. Not completely uncommon. He sat with a bowl of stew and slowly ate, not in a rush to get back out to the fences. It was raining out and Daryl really didn’t want to work in the rain even though there was much repair work to be done. He finished his lunch and dragged himself back toward the sink. As he rounded the corner, there they were. Carol and Rick, standing together. He didn’t know how they had died this time either, but there they were between him and the sink, his crossbow nowhere in sight. They just stood there, looking at him. He didn’t bother to scream this time. 

Rick couldn’t take the thrashing anymore, he woke Daryl with a shake and held him as he woke. Whatever dream was consuming him would not let him go. It broke his heart to watch his lover this way. This time when Daryl woke, he didn’t fight, didn’t sweat, something was different. “’S’ok.” He let his head fall back onto Rick’s chest as Carol held his hand.

The bunk felt empty when Daryl woke, Carol was gone already. Sometimes she woke before him and let him hog all the blankets as she started the day. He laid in bed figuring out what he had to do today. The fence was secured, they had placed new posts and reinforced their main line of defense. The breaches were fixed and the wall between them and us had been fixed. Today would be spent working on the truck, Glenn had brought back some needed parts on his last run. The curtain in the door way opened and in walked Carol. For a moment, Daryl’s heart stopped. For a moment he thought it was a walker, he sprang up in bed and grabbed for his crossbow. Rick followed in behind her and stepped in front of her when he realized Daryl was reaching for his bow. “Daryl…” They looked at each other. Daryl shook his head. He caught his breath and realized that everything was fine. He slumped as Carol walked to him and took his hand.

“You worry too much, about all of us.” She knelt in front of him as Rick sat beside him. 

Rick put an arm around Daryl, “Stop being on edge, we’re all together. We can handle anything.” Daryl leaned into Rick’s hold as Carol wrapped around them both in a hug.

Rick wanted to wake him but Carol held him back. “He’s calming down.” She whispered. It was the first time in two weeks that Daryl had seem to let his dream come to completion and didn’t wake himself up. They held him close till they all finally slept.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

Daryl woke first, feeling a bit confused. It was still dark out and he realized he was sandwiched between his lovers. He wanted to stretch, move around, go take a piss. But it was warm and comfortable in their arms. He listened to the quiet of the prison, to Carol and Rick sleeping soundly. And then it hit him. He had been asleep too. For the first time in weeks he had slept. He didn’t want to think about his dreams but he had to. He went back to walker-Carol and dead-Rick and forced himself to remember. Mending fencing and reinforcing their home and then he was safe in his cell. With Carol and Rick by his side. Like they were now. Daryl had finally figure it out. These dreams weren’t about him losing his loves. They were about strengthening and reinforcing, bringing each other closer to him and being together as a unit. He couldn’t keep them at arm’s length any more, and Rick couldn’t keep sleeping somewhere else. They were all together, in this bed, where they all needed to be. 

He felt Rick playing in his hair again, he knew Rick was awake. “You got some sleep.” Rick had listened to Daryl start to snore before he had let himself fall asleep. He woke a few times and checked on Daryl who had been out cold for a few hours. Daryl nodded in his hold. 

Carol was asleep, more soundly than Daryl had seen her in a while. He looked around the dark cell and listened to the familiar noises of the prison, “Three of us, gotta sleep like this from now on.” Daryl didn’t make it a request, but more a command. 

Rick shook his head.

“Though you didn’t care if people knew.” Rick had been the one to say that from the start even though he chose to sleep separate.

Rick kissed Daryl’s hair. “I don’t, but this bed isn’t big enough for three.” They were comfortable for one night, but this really was no way for them all to sleep.

“My god, can you two shut up so I can sleep. In the morning you find a way to make a bigger bed.” She tickled Rick’s side and gently bit Daryl in the shoulder. The all laughed and the held close together and dozed back off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this story, feel free to leave me some feedback.


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